As the nation observed Veterans Day last week, we were reminded of the brave Americans who defend our freedom and way of life. For many veterans who served on faraway battlefields, their return home is often in large part due to the first-rate trauma care providers in our military. Unfortunately, one in seven Americans do not have access to a trauma care center within the first hour of suffering a life-threatening, traumatic injury. Whether it is one of our service members injured on the battlefield, or a family involved in a multi-car collision, trauma victims have minutes, not hours, to get the care on which their lives depend. 

Recent data has shown that nearly 30,000 Americans could be saved each year if they received timely trauma care. But that requires that the necessary resources and trained trauma care providers are in place to get the job done. American lives shouldn’t depend on the time or place where one is injured. Just as cardiovascular disease is a public health crisis that claims more lives than it should, trauma causes tens of thousands of preventable deaths each year—we must treat it as a public health crisis too. 

Fortunately, by applying some of our military’s proven trauma care capabilities to our civilian trauma centers and systems, we have the opportunity to save lives and maintain military readiness through times of peace. In fact, a recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine made the case for a unified trauma care strategy to save the lives of Americans on and off the battlefield. In keeping with these findings we introduced the MISSION Zero Act, legislation to facilitate collaboration to address gaps in trauma care capabilities across the country and in our military. 

The U.S. military has successfully reduced the number of preventable casualties caused by combat-related trauma. Our recent history of sustained ground combat operations has unfortunately led to thousands of traumatic injuries for our men and women in uniform; however, dealing with those injuries has resulted in incredible strides in delivering trauma care, saving countless lives. Many of these lessons learned on the battlefield could translate to lives saved here at home too 
The MISSION Zero Act would foster a partnership between our military and civilian trauma care providers to benefit Texans, and all Americans. It is a commonsense and simple concept—a national trauma care system that allows for the continuous exchange of expertise, resources, and best practices between our military and civilian medical providers. 

Our legislation would also establish grant programs for eligible trauma systems and centers to incorporate full military trauma teams or individual providers. A partnership of this sort is mutually beneficial: it helps civilians learn more about military best practices, and it gives military trauma care providers the opportunity to utilize their cutting-edge skills and maintain their expertise without leaving the military. 

There are major benefits to fostering greater collaboration between military and civilian trauma care providers. We are proud to be part of this important bipartisan, bicameral legislation to strengthen our nation’s trauma care and save countless lives on and off the battlefield.

Senator John Cornyn is the senior U.S. Senator from Texas. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. represents the 26th Congressional district of Texas.