RALEIGH - There's been a lot of talk about health insurance in the past years but not as much on treatments. And in an interview with Carolina Newsmakers, Rep. Renee Ellmers says she is working on the "Cures Initiative" in Congress to find ways to bring health care into the 21st Century.

"Over the last year, we have been bringing medical experts together with associations and patient advocacy groups on all levels to the table so that we can improve health care," Ellmers says.

Ellmers worked as a nurse before being elected to Congress in 2010 and says her medical background helps inform other legislation she works on. For example, Ellmers is currently working on legislation to help medical professionals recognize the signs of victims of human trafficking.

"One of the things we recognize through research is that individuals who are trafficked actually go to the same doctors that the rest of us go to," Ellmers says. "But unfortunately, our healthcare providers can't always identify the symptoms of human trafficking."

Human trafficking is the second largest criminal enterprise in the country, behind drugs. And Ellmers says human trafficking tends to target vulnerable populations such as undocumented immigrants.

"They can't go to law enforcement and they don't know who to report to even though they need to get out of that situation and they recognize that," she says.

Ellmers says her bill on human trafficking is aimed at improving communication between doctors, victims and law enforcement. Similarly, she says the healthcare initiative is trying to close the gap in communication between the country's medical agencies.

"We've brought all the agencies together and they themselves, whether we're talking about the FDA or the CDC, agree on the goal," she says.

Ellmers says there also needs to be better communication between researchers, who may sometimes withhold information on cures for diseases.

"If a drug may not turn out to be the drug for the disease you're trying to cure, it may take a vital role in another disease area," she says.

Large military communities such as Fayetteville and Fort Bragg are represented by Ellmers and she says she opposes cuts to the military, particularly the removal of the 440th Airlift Wing.

"That is vital to training for our 82nd Airborne paratroopers and I am very concerned about this issue," she says. "So does the rest of the North Carolina delegation and our two senators."

Ellmers says the removal of the airlift wing will also hurt the surrounding community.

"This will be detrimental to the economy in Fayetteville. That's something I have to consider as a legislator," she says. "I know our military may not take that as the first point of reference."

Ellmers also says military readiness is important now because we live in a more dangerous time, referencing the shooting in Texas that ISIS later claimed responsibility for.