The mission of Mississippi Trauma Care System is to develop and maintain a statewide trauma system to ensure Mississippians receive the highest quality of care possible, provide a continuum of care from initial injury detection through definitive care including rehabilitation, and decrease injury and death due to traumatic injury.

The trauma program began with the 1991 Mississippi legislative session where laws were written to designate the Division of Emergency Medical Services (DEMS), Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), as the lead agency in the development of a trauma care plan for the state.

The State Care Plan for the program was written and approved with implementation in October of 2001.

In 1997, the Mississippi Legislature established a 17-member Trauma Care Task Force (TCTF) to review the status of trauma and its impact on the public's health. The recommendations of the TCTF were compiled into a report presented to the Governor and Legislature on December 15, 1997. The report was used as a guideline for drafting and subsequent passage of House Bill 966, "an act relating to a statewide Trauma Care System".

Based on the TCTF report, the 1998 Legislature passed legislation (HB 966) giving MSDH-DEMS the authority to develop a statewide trauma care system. This legislation also established a permanent funding source through an assessment on all moving traffic violations, creating the Trauma Care Trust Fund. This money is available for administrative functions at both the state and regional levels. The legislation also expanded the Mississippi Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council to include trauma professionals, which make up the Mississippi Trauma Advisory Committee (MTAC).

The Mississippi Trauma Advisory Committee (MTAC) was developed as a subcommittee of the EMS Advisory Committee. In 1998, they developed the Mississippi Trauma Care Regulations which were subsequently adopted by the State Board of Health.

Today, each hospital participating in the Mississippi Trauma System actively collects trauma data and submits it to Office of Emergency Planning and Response (OEPR) as part of ongoing development of the Mississippi Trauma System.