The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has announced that it will permanently discontinue in-person site visits for trauma center verification. Starting in 2021, all verification visits will be conducted remotely in a virtual format. ACS leaders also reported that they will soon finalize major revisions to the college’s trauma center standards.
The upcoming changes were previewed during the 2020 TQIP Annual Scientific Meeting and Training, which took place online December 7-10. During the “New Approach to Verification” session, leaders of the Verification Review Committee (VRC) explained the new site visit process and outlined several changes to trauma center requirements. All trauma verification site visits will be virtual After the ACS suspended verification site visits in March 2020, the VRC developed plans to restructure the review process for remote technology. The VRC then piloted a virtual site visit process at three U.S. trauma centers.
Read the full announcement HERE.
In collaboration with ACEP, AAP, ENA, ACS-COT and NASEMSO, the EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center (EIIC) is planning webinars for Wednesday & Thursday of EMS Week. Both will focus on the various projects surrounding pediatric readiness.
For more information, click HERE
Please visit the EIIC website to learn more.
See the blog HERE
Please visit the CDC website to learn more.
See the newsletter HERE
Please visit the TETAF website to learn more.
See the newsletter HERE
Please visit the Texas EMS Trauma News website to see more.
See the newsletter HERE
Please visit the Stop The Bleed website to see more.
See the newsletter HERE
Please visit the Texas Perinatal Services website to see more.
No matter how rapid the arrival of professional emergency responders, bystanders will always be first on the scene. A person who is bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes, therefore it is important to quickly stop the blood loss.
Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) are the administrative bodies responsible for trauma system oversight within the bounds of a given Trauma Service Area in Texas. Each of the 22 RACs is tasked with developing, implementing, and monitoring a regional emergency medical service trauma system plan.
Read More...The purpose of a Regional Advisory Council (RAC) is to develop, implement and monitor a regional emergency medical services (EMS) trauma system plan to facilitate trauma system networking within its Trauma Service Area (TSA) or group of TSAs. RAC membership may include hospitals, physicians, nurses, EMS providers, rehabilitation facilities, dispatchers, as well as other community groups.
The Omnibus Rural Health Care Rescue Act, passed in 1989, directed the Bureau of Emergency Management of the Texas Department of Health to develop and implement statewide emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma care system, designate trauma facilities, and develop a trauma registry to monitor the system and provide statewide cost and epidemiological statistics.
The trauma system was initially adopted by the Texas Board of Health in accordance with Senate Bill 530, Health & Safety Code, Chapter 773 (Emergency Medical Services), whereby the state was divided into twenty-two regions called Trauma Service Areas (Texas Administrative Code § Rule 157.122), provided for the formation of a Regional Advisory Council (Texas Administrative Code § Rule 157.123).
The functions of Regional Advisory Councils (RAC) were to develop and implement a regional EMS/trauma system plan, provide public information and education about prevention of trauma and a trauma system, provide a forum for EMS providers and hospitals to address trauma service area issues, network with other regional advisory councils, and document and report trauma system data that meets trauma service criterion.
If you are new to the assistance request process, the following instructions will assist you with obtaining PPE, Staffing, and Equipment Requests:
For all PPE requests through the STAR (State of Texas Assistance Request) Program, please follow the instructions below:
(Be sure you have downloaded and saved a copy of the PPE request form to your computer before proceeding, and that you have created your unique user ID as instructed under the "How To" section above)
For all Staffing requests through the STAR (State of Texas Assistance Request) Program, please follow the instructions below:
(Be sure you have downloaded and saved a copy of the STAFFING REQUEST FORM to your computer before proceeding, and that you have created your unique user ID as instructed under the "How To" section above)
For all Ventilator & O2 Concentrator Equipment requests through the STAR (State of Texas Assistance Request) Program, please follow the instructions below:
(Be sure you have downloaded and saved a copy of the VENT/O2 and PROPERTY AGREEMENT forms to your computer before proceeding, and that you have created your unique user ID as instructed under the "How To" section above)
Hospitals and healthcare professionals should follow their normal process of trying to locate emergency medical supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE), and other healthcare resources with their regular vendors and exhaust all possible options. These options may include contacting any sister facilities for coordination, reaching out to local partners or stakeholders, looking at any possible reallocations within the Public Health Region, Healthcare Coalition, Regional Advisory Council regions, or other medical supply agencies, given established priority groups. If hospitals and healthcare professionals cannot obtain any PPE from their vendor(s) and have exhausted all alternative options, they should send their official requests to their local office of emergency management via the STAR process. Please ensure you provide all relevant details for your request, to include type of item, POC information, and delivery address.
Upcoming Events, Meetings & Trainings
This presentation is provided and hosted by the Texas Trauma Coordinator’s Forum. It will be of interest to administrators, nurses, trauma program managers, trauma registrars, and other personnel working in the field of trauma care. This presentation satisfies the Department of State Health Services’ Trauma Designation requirement for formal Trauma Program and Trauma Performance Improvement education.
Upcoming RAC-G FY21 Meetings
Piney Woods Regional Advisory Council Executive Board Meeting. Agenda TBA.
Piney Woods Regional Advisory Council General-HCC Assembly Meeting. Agenda TBA.
Download the membership application and fee schedule HERE.
RAC-G continues to build a roster of volunteers from our retired medical community. Should the need arise, we want to be ready. We thank you in advance for your willingness to serve.
Fill out the volunteer form HERE.
Meet our team behind the scenes
sheryl@rac-g.org
loretta@rac-g.org
beth@rac-g.org
hannah@rac-g.org
michael@rac-g.org
brandon@rac-g.org
eric@rac-g.org
aaron@rac-g.org
Pandemic Response Team
Contact us through one of the options below.
100 E. Ferguson St. Suite 708, Tyler, TX. 75701
General: info@rac-g.org
Website: support@rac-g.org
Office 903.593.4722
Fax 903.593.5092
