Hull expected to approve $4.3 million in aid later this week

The trauma centers at University Medical Center and Tucson Medical Center are one signature away from staying open through the end of 2002.

The state Senate unanimously approved a bill Thursday that would provide $4.3 million in state aid to the two hospitals.

The bill will now be sent to Republican Gov. Jane Dee Hull, who is expected to sign it into law later this week.

Hull has promised to sign the bill, but UMC officials are being cautious to not celebrate too early.

"We won't be happy until it passes," said Dr. Eskild Petersen, chief of staff at UMC.

The new state funds would increase the total amount of aid given to the hospitals to $4.8 million - an amount that hospital officials said they needed to keep the level one trauma centers open.

The city of Tucson and Pima County already contributed $250,000 each.

The two trauma centers had been operating under a partnership, but TMC announced in October that it would close its trauma center at the end of the year due to lack of funds.

UMC officials announced two weeks later that its trauma center would also close because it would not be able to sustain the additional burden of being the only trauma center in southern Arizona.

The closure of both centers would have left southern Arizona with no level one trauma centers, meaning patients requiring immediate medical attention may have been forced to go to Phoenix for treatment.

UMC attributes most of its losses to uninsured patients as well as patients whose insurance did not fully reimburse the center for their costs.

The state Legislature has agreed to work on a permanent financial solution for the two hospitals during its regular session, which begins in January.