Frequently Asked Questions

CVRAC is the Regional Advisory Council (RAC) for Trauma Service Area K (TSA-K) in the Concho Valley of West Texas. It is made up of local citizens who represent hospitals, prehospital (EMS) providers, physicians, nurses and other people interested in trauma care, injury prevention, cardiac care, stroke care and disaster preparedness.

Trauma Service Area K (TSA-K) is one of the geographic regions defined by the Texas Department of State Health Services for organizing emergency medical and trauma care. CVRAC represents TSA-K, which is centered on San Angelo.

CVRAC serves 14 counties: Coke, Concho, Crockett, Irion, Kimble, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Reagan, Runnels, Schleicher, Sterling, Sutton, and Tom Green.

A RAC develops, implements and monitors a regional EMS and trauma system plan. Its functions include providing public information and education about trauma prevention, giving EMS providers and hospitals a forum to address trauma service area issues, networking with other RACs, and documenting and reporting trauma system data.

CVRAC works across trauma care, injury prevention, cardiac care, stroke care and disaster preparedness within Trauma Service Area K.

Texas is divided into 22 Trauma Service Areas, labeled A through V, and each one has a Regional Advisory Council. CVRAC is RAC K, based in San Angelo. See the full list of Texas RACs.

The Omnibus Rural Health Care Rescue Act, passed in 1989, directed the state to develop and implement a statewide EMS and trauma care system, designate trauma facilities and build a trauma registry. Regional Advisory Councils were formed to carry out that plan in each Trauma Service Area.

RAC membership may include hospitals, physicians, nurses, EMS providers, rehabilitation facilities and dispatchers, as well as other community groups interested in improving trauma care. To ask about participating in CVRAC, contact the Executive Director.

CVRAC is guided by an Executive Board of hospital and EMS leaders from across the region, chaired by Jon-Michael Parker, BSN, RN. Danny Updike, RN, LP, serves as Executive Director. Meet the Executive Board.

The CVRAC bylaws and standard operating procedures are linked on the Documents page, along with yearly applications, the EMS county pass-through, the change of representative form, the expense report and the CVRAC request form.

The Concern Form lets an entity resolve an issue with another entity or get a concern answered. The completed form goes to the CVRAC Executive Director, who forwards it to the other entity for a response. The process continues until the concern is resolved. Download the Concern Form (Word).

A concern remains between the entities involved and the CVRAC Executive Director, unless outside expertise is required to resolve the issue.

Meeting materials are kept in a shared folder linked from the Meeting Documents page.

Performance improvement (PI) submissions are made through online forms linked on the Documents page: trauma and cardiac/stroke for hospitals, trauma for EMS, and trauma plus Stop the Bleed and other measures for air medical services.

Required hospital bed data by Trauma Service Area is published through the Texas Department of State Health Services Hospital Preparedness Program.

CVRAC keeps a shared folder of approved classes and conferences for providers in the region.

Yes. Presentations from the trauma symposium are available in CVRAC’s Trauma Symposium Presentations folder.

CVRAC offers three training videos on the neonatal go bag: an introduction to the bag, respiratory support, and newborn warming. They are designed for healthcare professionals and caregivers. Watch the neonatal training videos.

Stop the Bleed is a nationwide campaign that teaches bystanders to act quickly when someone is bleeding. A person who is bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes, and bystanders are almost always first on the scene. Learn more at Stop the Bleed Texas.

A prehospital blood program equips ambulances and medical helicopters with blood products so trained EMS personnel can begin transfusions at the scene of an emergency or during transport, instead of waiting until the patient reaches a trauma center. Read more about prehospital blood programs.

Yes. Blood used in prehospital settings follows the same strict national safety standards required in hospitals. It is screened and tested, protocols are in place to prevent transfusion reactions and errors, and licensed physicians and trauma experts oversee all medical protocols.

Most EMS programs carry low-titer O-positive whole blood. O-type blood can be used in emergencies for patients of any blood type, and “low-titer” means the donor blood contains very low levels of antibodies.

No. Programs are coordinated with blood banks so hospitals keep an adequate supply, and blood is typically carried for about three weeks before being returned to a hospital blood bank for use there.

Donate blood regularly at your local blood center, encourage friends, family and coworkers to donate, and help spread awareness. Every unit of donated blood can save up to three lives.

Call (325) 456-2370, email [email protected], write to PO Box 60125, San Angelo, TX 76906, or use the contact form.

No. CVRAC is a regional planning and coordination organization and does not dispatch emergency services. In an emergency, call 911.