Trauma Center Efficacy: Certification Status and its Effect on Traffic Fatalities at Varying Radii

Abstract

The goal of the paper is to better inform policy makers on the optimal placement of trauma center facilities. I examine the effect of Californian trauma centers vs. standard emergency departments on traffic fatalities for 2002 to 2008. Hospital addresses are geocoded and compared to the geographic coordinates of fatal car accidents provided through USDOT in order to create a dependent fatality density variable for every hospital at different radii. Demographic controls for different radii are constructed using ArcGIS to serve as a model for traffic fatalities.