The Texas Department of State Health Services has named the Central Texas Regional Advisory Council (RAC) the 2009 Most Outstanding RAC of the Year, of which Scott & White is the lead trauma facility. The Texas Department of State Health Services Office of EMS and Trauma Systems Coordination presented this award during their Annual Texas EMS conference 2009. The award is given to a RAC that has demonstrated outstanding advances in the development and implementation of their regional trauma system plan centered around the care of the acutely injured and/or ill patient.
“The care of injured patients requires a systematic approach to ensure optimal care and no one trauma center can do everything alone,” said Terry Valentino, assistant executive director of trauma services Scott & White Memorial Hospital. “As the lead trauma facility within the region, Scott & White contributes to the success of this integrated approach by providing enhanced trauma education and medical direction to hospitals and EMS agencies both within and outside our service area.”
The Central Texas Regional Advisory Council (CTRAC), established in 1992, is an organization comprised of local hospitals, EMS agencies, Fire Departments, County and City Offices of Emergency Management, and other health care providers that serve six counties located in Trauma Service Area L: Bell, Coryell, Hamilton, Lampasas, Milam, Mills. CTRAC covers over 6,192 square miles and has a population of 414,000.
“We feel that we received this award due to the commitment and coordination of all the EMS, fire, hospital and other medical agencies that work with the Central Texas RAC and it’s due to their outstanding efforts and because they coordinate with one another that make our region stand out,” said Danielle Lissberger, executive director of the Central Texas RAC.
Over the last two years, the Central Texas RAC has become a leader in the state of Texas and often provides assistance and guidance to other RAC’s in many different areas of system development.
“When the state of Texas is looking at RAC’s deserving this award, they look at the region as a whole and the activities that have taken place within that region that have contributed to the growth and development of the trauma system.
Some of the areas they review include:
- Trauma medical director involvement
- Trauma performance improvement activities
- Injury prevention activities
- EMS system development
- Hospital system development
- RAC Leadership Activities by the Executive Director and RAC Board Members
According to the Central Texas RAC, hospitals have always been about patients and trauma care, but in the last several years have also included emergency and disaster preparedness as part of their efforts. The Central Texas RAC utilizes a regional medical operations center in which all hospitals in the trauma service area can come together and excel during times of disaster, such as the medical special needs shelter that housed evacuees during Hurricane Ike in 2008.
“Hospitals, emergency management, EMS, and other stakeholders came together through the medical operations center to ensure adequate staff, supplies, and equipment was in place to meet the evacuee’s special needs,” said Lissberger.
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