Doc Ernie's Blog : Ernie Franz M.D. : Spinal Cord Injury, Disability, and Rehabilitation

In January of 2008 I was asked by my friend and Harborview trauma surgeon Jerry Jurkovich, MD to be present with he and US Senator Patty Murray as she introduced her proposed Trauma Bill to the press and local TV stations.  It was certainly an honor to be asked to be a part of this effort, which will begin to help fund uncompensated trauma care.  This growing financial crisis for many critical "safety net" institutions, such now as Grady Hospital in Atlanta, has resulted in 20 US trauma centers closing since 2000.  Though efforts are being made to keep Grady, and other such institutions open, I believe some radical changes will soon be necessary in the way we deliver and pay for health care.

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Although update #1 reflects my most current "work" related volunteer activities, I have also been involved in a few legislative actions which will be touched on here and in another post to follow.  The information below is specifically in regard to Washington state's Crime Victim's Compensation program; the post to follow this will be in regards to US Senator Patty Murray's Trauma Bill.

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I will attempt to quickly bring you up to speed with how I currently fill my days.  It has been both a challenging life, and yet a satisfying one at the same time.  Still hard for me to comprehend, but my family, and particularly my wife, believe I am now a much better person post-trauma, than I was prior to August 23, 2004.

A few of the activities I have mentioned in detail below these paragraphs were recently covered in The Trauma Report, a publication printed once every three years by Seattle's Harborview Medical Center.  It was an honor to have been chosen to write a brief article for that publication, in which 3 trauma stories were featured, mine being one of those.  By following the link in this paragraph you will find the article.  Reading further below will certainly give you a more complete idea of the service activities I have pursued in this new life...

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