Kentucky Trauma System

Trauma is the leading killer of those 45 or younger. Injury death rates in Kentucky are 1/3 higher than the U.S. average, making Kentucky the second deadliest state in the nation.

Trauma is the most costly disease, even more than cancer or cardiovascular disease. Rural trauma is more deadly than urban trauma (traffic injury mortality is inversely proportional to population density).

Hospitals in the Kentucky Trauma System

August 26, 2024

Trauma Resources

Cover of Kentucky Trauma Registry 2022 Annual Report

Kentucky Trauma Data Bank 2022 Annual Report

This report from the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) analyzes the statewide trauma registry data and provides a detailed profile of the traumatic injuries treated in the state’s trauma facilities. (December 2023)

Kentucky Trauma Hospital Resource Manual cover

Kentucky Trauma Hospital Resource Manual

This manual contains a description of the trauma center designation process as well as examples of sample policies and forms to help you develop your hospital’s trauma program.
  • KYTAC1 – Level IV Application for Verification and Designation with PRQ
  • KYTAC2 – Levels I, II and III Application for Designation

This resource from the American College of Surgeons offers the largest aggregation of U.S. trauma registry data ever assembled.

Learn More

The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma has developed the 2022 edition of this guide, detailing the principles regarding resources, performance improvement patient safety processes, data collection, protocols, research, and education for a trauma center. The Verification, Review, and Consultation program evaluates the care, aligned to the standards and expected scope of practice at each institution.

Learn More

REAP (Remove/Reduce Educate Adjust/Accommodate Pace) Concussion Manual
This manual offers guidance on how families, schools and medical professionals can implement a Community-Based Concussion Management Program.
Download

​REAP Videos


Brain Injury Alliance of Kentucky (BIAK)
BIAK links survivors of brain injury and their families to support from others with similar experience; provides them with education and information about living and coping with brain injury; assists them in locating resources for financial assistance; and seeks to connect people with sources of emotional support.

Traumatic Brain Injury Trust Fund

The TBI Trust Fund was established to provide flexible funding and support to those with brain injuries. The fund supports supplemental community-based efforts to meet the special needs of each individual with a brain injury.


Other Resources

What is CTE and Why Athletes Need to Know About It
CTE is a a brain disease caused by repeated head injuries that may include concussions. It mostly happens in athletes who play contact sports like football and ice hockey. Doctors first identified it under a different name in the 1920s in aging boxers. CTE results from cumulative damage and usually happens years later. Although there’s no cure, you or your child can take steps to avoid getting CTE. Even if your “bell has been rung” a few times, it doesn’t mean you’ll get the disease. But you should know what to watch out for.
Visit WebMd to learn about:

  • Causes
  • Symptoms
  • Who’s at Risk?
  • How to Play It Safer

Check the related Wikipedia reference to dive deeper into CTE, and learn a lot more.

Stop the Bleed® is the result of a collaborative effort led by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) to bring knowledge of bleeding control to the public. The ACS COT, and specifically the EMS subcommittee with its many collaborative relationships, provided the perfect environment for this program to grow into the critical success that it is today.

If you’d like to learn more about the origins of Stop the Bleed® , read the proceedings from the Hartford Consensus, a group of concerned trauma specialists who met following the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting, to develop expert recommendations on how to improve survival for people with severe bleeding.  It is called Strategies to Enhance Survival in Active Shooter and Intentional Mass Casualty Events: A Compendium.

Take a STOP THE BLEED Course
Through the Stop the Bleed® course you’ll gain the ability to recognize life-threatening bleeding and intervene effectively. Stop the Bleed®. Save a Life!

Check with a nearby Trauma Center or Emergency Department, or your local EMS organization, to see if they have program coming up.

Stop the Bleed® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency. All rights reserved. © DoD.  The American College of Surgeons’ STOP THE BLEED® program is operated pursuant to a licensing agreement granted it by the Department of Defense.

Safe Kids Kentucky is led by Kentucky Department of Health, which provides dedicated and caring staff, operation support and other resources to assist in achieving our common goal: keeping your kids safe. Based on the needs of the community, this coalition implements evidence-based programs, such as car-seat checkups, safety workshops and sports clinics, that help parents and caregivers prevent childhood injuries.

In-State Coalitions

Includes Kentucky Trauma System Designation Process, Trauma System Level IV Criteria, Trauma System Registry, Trauma System Appeals Process, and Trauma System Fees.

Trauma Advisory Committee

The Kentucky Trauma Advisory Committee meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 3:00 p.m. (ET) over the KEN-NECT Teleconference Bridge. A public viewing location is available at the Kentucky Department for Public Health, 275 East Main Street in Frankfort.

Contact the Commissioner of Health’s Office at (502) 564-3970 for facility access and location.

Upcoming Events

Kentucky Trauma System Partners

Richard Bartlett

Questions?

Richard Bartlett
KHA/KHREF 
Kentucky State Trauma Program Director
InfraGard Healthcare and Public Health Sector Chief
(502) 992-4305