Enhance trauma care

Recently, I read that Arkansas has a sizable surplus in its tax coffers. I suspect that will lead some politicians and voters to call for state tax cuts, despite many areas that Arkansas fails its citizens by its lack of investment. On roughly the same day, Dr. Jerrilyn Jones presented a public health lecture in part about the difficulties of reducing mortality rates in cardiac and stroke patients in a largely rural state due to inadequate trauma-care accessibility within a critically tight time frame, complicated by many Arkansans living multiple hours away from top-tier emergency centers. Some difficulties are admittedly not modifiable (including but not limited to increasing periods of severe weather that eliminates air transport options). Some are modifiable, though, if we are willing to put the resources into doing so.

Assuring that critical-care personnel and facilities are available without hours-long transport could be a game-changer. Allowing the EMTs, consulting with distant experts, to provide more aggressive treatment while en route could help. Improving telemedicine availability and reliability with expanded broadband is also key.

Under Dr. Jones’ expert guidance, Arkansas continues to make progress in emergency care. Imagine how much more progress could be made with more financial and personnel resources invested in rural areas subsidized by taxpayer money! Cardiac events are great equalizers in some ways. Even the wealthiest individuals living hours away from existing trauma facilities often cannot get treatment any quicker than the poor in their communities. Are those rural individuals more interested in lower taxes than in more likely successful outcomes due to more immediate treatment for such crises? Will they step up and ask a tax-averse supermajority and governor to spend some of the tax revenue on enhanced rural trauma accessibility that could well save lives? MARY REMMEL WOHLLEB Little Rock