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PHILADELPHIA, May 31, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Eighty-four percent of U.S. residents live within one hour of a hospital trauma center, University of Pennsylvania researchers reported Monday.
Researchers found 70 percent of Americans live within 45 minutes of a trauma center and the 46.7 million people who are more than one hour away from such a hospital generally reside in rural areas.
"Quickly getting to a trauma center will very likely save your life if you are seriously injured, and we need to get more people basic access to these important hospitals," author Charles Branas wrote in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association.
The researchers said the best way to increase access to trauma care was by using medical helicopters, which provided transportation help to 81.4 million Americans who otherwise would not have reached a trauma center within an hour.
They wrote additional helicopter bases would be a practical way to extend trauma-center access.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International.
