Dr. R. Adams Cowley Congressional Gold Medal Act

To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. R. Adams Cowley, in recognition of his lifelong commitment to the advancement of trauma care. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Dr. R. Adams Cowley Congressional Gold Medal Act 2. Findings The Congress finds as follows: (1) Dr. Cowley was a pioneer in the practice of open-heart surgery, trauma mitigation and emergency medical services. His goal through vigorous research into the impacts of trauma was to reduce the instances of death due to shock and was awarded a $100,000 contract from the Army to study the effects of shock in soldiers. (2) Dr. Cowley established the first clinical shock trauma unit in the Nation in 1960. Dr. Cowley’s realization of the importance of the first 60 minutes of treatment after critical injury led to an idea called the Golden Hour Theory (3) Dr. Cowley’s advocacy of the Golden Hour theory led to the first medevac transport system in 1969 after the opening of the new 5-story, 32-bed Center for the Study of Trauma in Baltimore, Maryland. (4) Dr. Cowley’s work continued to produce new advances in shock trauma treatment. In 1979, former Maryland Governor Marvin Mandel issued an Executive order establishing the Center for the Study of Trauma at the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medicine and Dr. Cowley was appointed Director of the Division of Emergency Medical Services. (5) Dr. Cowley was a tireless advocate for the Shock Trauma Center throughout his entire career testifying before Maryland legislators and fighting for funding for equipment, helicopters and anything else he needed to build the EMS System in Maryland. (6) Dr. Cowley’s hard work laid the foundation for emergency medicine to become a discipline of its own. Hundreds of medical personnel have trained at the Shock Trauma Center including members of the United States Military in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan and Iraq. 3. Congressional gold medal (a) Presentation authorized The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of Dr. R. Adams Cowley, in recognition of his lifelong commitment to the advancement of trauma care. (b) Design and striking For purposes of the presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the Secretary 4. Duplicate medals The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3 under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold medal. 5. Status of medals (a) National medals The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 (b) Numismatic items For purposes of section 5134

Summary: Dr. R. Adams Cowley Congressional Gold Medal Act - Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for a posthumous presentation of a congressional gold medal in commemoration of Dr. R. Adams Cowley, recognizing his lifelong commitment to the advancement of trauma care. Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates in bronze of such medal.