The potential for essential trauma care to empower communities and tackle inequities.

In an attempt to address rapidly increasing injuries in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), the Essential Trauma Care Project was started with the goal of standardizing trauma care systems. This project, although part of "vertical" essential health services, has the potential to strengthen the health care system as a whole and to empower communities. Improved diagnosis, triage, referral, communication, and transport benefit the integrated health care systems weakened by vertical approaches. This project mobilizes existing resources, including lay people, to establish a "local model of prehospital care," which can raise community capability and foster trust in health systems. This article describes how this project can be an intersection between vertical and horizontal approaches.