With any injury, every second matters on the road to recovery.

But Kentucky may be lagging behind the rest of the country when it comes to trauma care.

The Kentucky Hospital Association is hoping to beef up the state's trauma response.

"Trauma is an enormous healthcare problem nationally and in the state," said Dr. Andrew Bernard, of the University of Kentucky Hospital.

"The most common cause of death and disability is trauma in young Kentuckians under the age of 45."

But doctors say Kentucky is not prepared to handle that growing problem.

They say there are not enough trauma facilities in the state, so changes need to be made.

But a lot is needed to make that happen.

"We need better training for EMS," explained Bernard.

"We need protocols and guidelines for transported trauma patients, and we need all these pieces connected together by a statewide trauma network."

It is a network that requires overall improvement.

"Their length of stay in the hospital will be shorter and their overall recovery will be better," stated Bernard.

"Better surgery earlier, and they'll have better outcomes. That puts them back in the workplace quickly and saves money for the healthcare system."

Nurses and doctors alike say time is of the essence.

So they are hoping the Kentucky General Assembly will pass a bill that would establish a trauma network.

"With this legislation, it would help us coordinate the care across the state and get it better, pre-hospital and in-patient as well," said UK Hospital RN Jill Dinsmore.

Kentucky had more than 4,000 trauma cases last year, and is one of 14 states without an organized trauma system.