During major emergencies like earthquakes, floods, or mass shootings, health resources can quickly become overwhelmed, causing breakdowns in communication and coordination. Hospitals may reach capacity, leaving some patients stranded without adequate care and making it difficult for family or friends to locate them. These issues are exacerbated in large-scale incidents affecting entire regions or states.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas faced these challenges but improved their emergency healthcare response by implementing new systems and technologies. Texas's success largely hinged on Regional Medical Operations Centers (RMOCs), which coordinated efforts locally and regionally. Eric Epley, Executive Director and CEO of the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC), highlighted how Texas managed load balancing through RMOCs and enhanced communication systems, with Pulsara playing a crucial role in ensuring optimal patient care statewide.
The following is an excerpt from an article by John Hick, ASPR TRACIE Senior Editor. It was originally published in The Express on HHS.gov in February 2024. Read on for an excerpt, and check out the full article here.
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Regional patient load balancing is an art and science that has evolved across the U.S., particularly over the past few years. ASPR TRACIE interviewed Eric Epley of the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council— who was the Council’s first official hire in 1998 and currently serves as the executive director/chief executive officer (CEO)—to learn more about how the Council has evolved and promising practices in load balancing and other trauma-related efforts.
The Texas Trauma System was created in 1989 by the Omnibus Rural Healthcare Rescue Act, which directed the state’s public health authority “to (1) develop and monitor a statewide emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma care system, (2) designate trauma facilities, and (3) develop and maintain a trauma reporting and analysis system” to, among other things, monitor the system and provide statewide cost and epidemiological statistics (Texas J RAC Advisory Council, 2016; Legislative Reference Library, 1989). The state was divided into 22 regions (i.e., Trauma Service Areas, or TSAs) and Regional Advisory Councils (RACs, which are non-profit and tax-exempt) who develop regional EMS plans, provide related public information, provide a forum for EMS providers and hospitals to discuss TSA issues and network with other RACs, and track related data.