ATLANTA --- MCG Health System will receive almost $5.1 million as part of a plan to help keep the state's 14 trauma-care hospitals afloat until the Legislature can come up with a permanent source of funding for the financially beleaguered network.

The money was among $58.9 million doled out Monday by the Georgia Trauma Care Network Commission, the first time the state has put forward significant funding in an effort to help hospitals designed to treat the most severely injured patients.

"This one-time infusion at least stabilized or saved what fragile system we had," said Dr. Dennis Ashley, who leads the commission.

Rich Bias, the senior vice president for ambulatory and network services for MCG Health System, applauded the decision even as he stressed the need for permanent funding from the General Assembly.

"I think it's a reasonable foundation to consider going forward when we get the funds that we're looking for from the Legislature in the future," Mr. Bias said.

Still, the allocation for MCG Health was less than the $4,229 average per-patient funding received by the trauma hospitals. MCG Health got about $3,248 a patient, lowest in the state.

In all, hospitals received $40.1 million of the money set aside for trauma care, and another $12 million will go to doctors who work in trauma care.

"That's a huge assistance to us on the medical staff side, because there had never been anything to assist our physician practices and allow them to be as supportive as we need them to be," Mr. Bias said.

Another $6.5 million went to the emergency medical services providers, like ambulances, and the rest went to the commission to cover administrative costs.

Advocates and hospital executives say the trauma-care situation will not be completely fixed until the General Assembly can give a regular stream of money.

"The idea that 700 people die every year in Georgia because we don't have a strong, viable trauma network is not acceptable under any circumstances," said Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta.