In this episode of The CATRAC Podcast, Douglas Havron talks with Josh Todd, a Division Chief with Austin–Travis County EMS and chair of the regional Whole Blood Workgroup, about bringing prehospital whole blood to more communities across Central Texas.

They discuss what it takes to build the program across EMS agencies, blood providers, and hospitals: portable refrigeration, real-time tracking, and a shared system for documenting transfusions and returning patient outcomes to crews. They also explain how rotating blood into higher-use areas and hospitals helps reduce waste while keeping it available in rural communities.

Josh and Douglas close with the work still ahead, including donor recruitment, deciding where blood resources are most needed, and funding the program for the long term.

CATRAC Executive Director and CEO Douglas Havron sits down with Rhonda Manor-Coombes, BSN, RN, TCRN, Chair of the Injury Prevention and Education Committee, to explore how collaboration and education can prevent injuries before they happen.

They discuss CATRAC’s data-driven safety campaigns, Stop the Bleed and hands-only CPR training, BEFAST stroke awareness, firearm and car-seat safety, and the importance of connecting hospitals, EMS agencies, and the community. Rhonda also previews the upcoming CATRAC symposium, including its separate prehospital and hospital education tracks and a pediatric mega-simulation following the patient from the field through hospital care.

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CATRAC CEO and Executive Director Douglas Havron sits down with Annie Burwell, Mental Health Workgroup Chair and Crisis Response Unit Program Manager for the Round Rock Fire Department, to examine the challenges facing behavioral healthcare across the region.

They discuss disaster behavioral health, peer support for first responders, and the fragmented path patients often face when seeking emergency psychiatric care. The conversation also explores how regional coordination, shared standards, and clearly defined pathways could create a more efficient system—one that places the patient at the center of care.

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In Episode 2 of On Air with CATRAC, host Mike Verkest sits down with Dinah Welsh, President and CEO of the Texas EMS Trauma and Acute Care Foundation, and Douglas Havron, Executive Director and CEO of CATRAC, to unpack the meaning behind the statewide message: “Because of a RAC.”

Together, they discuss how Regional Advisory Councils bring EMS agencies, hospitals, specialty care providers, emergency management, public health, and disaster response partners together to improve care across Texas. From trauma, stroke, cardiac, pediatric readiness, and whole blood initiatives to disaster preparedness, data sharing, hospital coordination, and legislative advocacy, this episode highlights the work happening behind the scenes to make emergency healthcare systems stronger.

Because of a RAC, communities receive more coordinated care, systems become more connected, and patients benefit from a regional approach focused on readiness, outcomes, and continuous improvement.

In the inaugural episode of The CATRAC Podcast, host Mike Verkest sits down with Douglas Havron, Executive Director and CEO of the Capital Area of Texas Regional Advisory Council, to answer a foundational question: what exactly is a RAC, and why does it matter?

Douglas breaks down how CATRAC supports emergency healthcare across 11 Central Texas counties by coordinating hospitals, EMS agencies, first responders, public health, emergency management, and disaster response partners. From trauma systems and stroke care to hospital diversion, wall times, data sharing, and regional preparedness, this episode pulls back the curtain on the systems that help clinicians deliver better care when seconds matter.

This launch episode sets the stage for future conversations about regional coordination, patient outcomes, emergency healthcare systems, and the people working behind the scenes to move care forward.

For more information, visit catrac.org