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SAVING BODIES, MINDS, & HEARTS 2023

Join us for this free community health and wellness event. We’ll be featuring information on heart health, Stop the Bleed, Domestic Violence Prevention, and many other topics. Meet your emergency healthcare system champions. This includes EMS, hospitals, fire, first responders, and other professionals who keep our community healthy and safe.

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Waco ISD Stadium Parking Lot

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

And, of course, there will be fire trucks, ambulances, and helicopters! So bring the kids, bring your friends, and family. There will also be food trucks from the Waco area at the event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Water Safety

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about water safety. Whether you’re a pro or a first-timer, safety is everyone’s responsibility. No one wants fun with friends and family to be disrupted by injury, or worse.

Fast Facts

Children are at a higher risk than adults for drowning. Drowning is continually a leading cause of death in children up to the age of four.

There are approximately 8,000 non-fatal drownings every year. That’s twice the number of “fatal, unintentional drownings” (4,000). There are serious, long-term consequences to non-fatal drownings.

The overwhelming majority (80%) of fatal drownings are male.

People of color are at a significantly higher risk of drowning when compared to White people.

Alcohol use significantly increases the risk of drowning.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021

Forever 15

Forever 15 is a program that was developed by Waco Lake U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Numerous other entities participated to make the program a success. Special thanks to Bosqueville ISD for participating and to Waco ISD for filming and production. Check out the video below.

Warning: This program is modeled after Shattered Dreams. Some of the content may be difficult to view but it is important to emphasize the importance of water safety.

The same program was performed with help from Lorena Middle School.

Saving Bodies, Minds, & Hearts 2022

****UPDATE: We are monitoring the weather. We will confirm any changes by 6/1/22.****

Join us for this free community health and wellness event. We’ll be featuring information on heart health, Stop the Bleed, Domestic Violence Prevention, and many other topics. Meet your emergency healthcare system champions. This includes EMS, hospitals, fire, first responders, and other professionals who keep our community healthy and safe.

Thursday, June 2, 2022

Waco ISD Stadium Parking Lot

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

And, of course, there will be fire trucks, ambulances, and helicopters! So bring the kids, bring your friends, and family. We look forward to seeing you there!

Check out photos from our last event on Facebook.

Confirmed Participants (so far!)

Air Evac Lifeteam

AirLift Texas

CareFlite Air

PHI Med 1-5

AMR Waco

CareFlite Ground

Hill Regional Hospital

Rodeo Dental

Family Abuse Center

City of Waco Fire

Ascension Providence

Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest

HOPE

Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network

Nurse Family Partnership

Waco Family Medicine

 

Stop the Bleed Texas Coalition Data Workgroup Update

The Stop the Bleed Texas Coalition has been working with local champions and stakeholders from across the state in order to improve outcomes for Texans who may suffer a life-threatening bleeding event. As a result of the discussions from the Data Workgroup led by Mr. Brett Dodwell from Memorial Hermann in Houston, TX, it was determined that there needed to be a uniform manner of observing tourniquet application data. There are 16 ICD-10 PCS Codes that were identified. ICD-10 Procedure Coding System is a method that is used across the globe as a universal convention of identifying procedures.

Below is the list of Codes and their corresponding description. You can see from the definitions that the Codes are very precise.

STB Texas Coalition Data Workgroup

Tourniquet Project Procedure Codes
  ICD10 PCS Code Definition
1 2W18X7Z Compression of Right Upper Extremity using Intermittent Pressure Device
2 2W19X7Z Compression of Left Upper Extremity using Intermittent Pressure Device
3 2W1AX7Z Compression of Right Upper Arm using Intermittent Pressure Device
4 2W1BX7Z Compression of Left Upper Arm using Intermittent Pressure Device
5 2W1CX7Z Compression of Right Lower Arm using Intermittent Pressure Device
6 2W1DX7Z Compression of Left Lower Arm using Intermittent Pressure Device
7 2W1EX7Z Compression of Right Hand using Intermittent Pressure Device
8 2W1FX7Z Compression of Left Hand using Intermittent Pressure Device
9 2W1LX7Z Compression of Right Lower Extremity using Intermittent Pressure Device
10 2W1MX7Z Compression of Left Lower Extremity using Intermittent Pressure Device
11 2W1NX7Z Compression of Right Upper Leg using Intermittent Pressure Device
12 2W1PX7Z Compression of Left Upper Leg using Intermittent Pressure Device
13 2W1QX7Z Compression of Right Lower Leg using Intermittent Pressure Device
14 2W1RX7Z Compression of Left Lower Leg using Intermittent Pressure Device
15 2W1SX72 Compression of Right Foot using Intermittent Pressure Device
16 2W1TX7Z Compression of Left Foot using Intermittent Pressure Device

 

Why are there so many? At a glance it looks like this could have been accomplished by simply asking, “was a tourniquet applied?” However, coding conventions demand that more precise procedure codes define the body region, whether it was left or right, and what type of procedure was performed. Also, because this type of coding is already being performed at all hospitals no additional work will go into creating a new process. In this way, we can avoid duplicating efforts or creating parallel processes that could potentially cause more work for people already busy with day to day operations.

It may take some time to get robust data but now it’s no longer a question of “if” but rather “when”.

Stop the Bleed in HOTRAC

 

 

 

Stop the Bleed in HOTRAC is an ongoing campaign to train people to help in the event of life-threatening bleeding after a traumatic injury. This worldwide campaign was implemented in this Region nearly five years ago. Oftentimes, folks will ask, what is Stop the Bleed, what do you do with it, and how can I get involved. Take a look at our short summary on the program in HOTRAC. The full-text PDF is available below.

Stop the Bleed in HOTRAC

 

Saving Bodies, Minds, & Hearts

UPDATE: 2021 Event Summary

The Heart of Texas Regional Advisory Council would like to invite you to this free event on May 6th from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM at the Waco ISD Stadium Parking Lot. Saving Bodies, Minds, & Hearts will feature first responders from our community and emergency healthcare personnel from hospitals in our region. They’ll have great information on a number of topics that promote safety and well-being.

In addition to visiting with our members and partners, check out the ambulance, fire truck, police car, AND helicopters! There’s lots to see and do at Saving Bodies, Minds, & Hearts.

The safety and well-being of all members, partners, and visitors is important. While this event is being held outdoors, we highly encourage everyone to wear masks (especially when physical distancing is not possible).

Click Here for Event Flyer

Featured Topics and Experts Include:

Ambulance – AMR Waco

Ambulance – CareFlite

Ambulance – Limestone Medical Center EMS

Bicycle Safety: Helmet Fitting and Giveaway – Parkview Regional Hospital

Car Seat Checks with Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians – Texas A&M AgriLife Passenger Safety/KidSafe Initiative

Child Abuse Prevention – Hill Regional Hospital

Concussion Awareness

Dial 9-1-1 for Emergencies – CareFlite Air

Disaster Preparedness & Response – Heart of Texas Council of Governments

Fire House – City of Waco Fire

Fire Safety – City of Waco Fire

Fire Truck – City of Waco Fire

Fire Truck – City of Woodway

Geriatric Fall Prevention – Ascension Providence

Gun Safety – Department of Public Safety

Hands-Only CPR – Baylor Scott & White Southwest Sports Medicine & Orthopaedics

Health Screening – Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest

Helicopter – AEL

Helicopter – CareFlite

Helicopter – PHI Air Med

HOPES

Human Trafficking Awareness & Prevention – Unbound Now

McLennan County Domestic Violence Response Team

Mental Health Awareness – Veteran’s One Stop

Nurse Family Partnership – Baylor Scott & White Nurse Family Partnership

Organ Donation – Texas Organ Sharing Alliance

Poison Control

Police Car – City of Waco PD

School Zone Safety – Goodall Witcher Hospital

Self Breast Exam Info – Ascension Providence

Stroke & Heart Attack Prevention – Ascension Providence; Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Hillcrest

Stop the Bleed – ESC Region 12

Suicide Prevention – Heart of Texas Region MHMR

Waco-McLennan County Public Health District

And more!

Think Safe. Be Safe

A Social Media Injury Prevention Campaign 

The Heart of Texas RAC is fortunate to have strong collaborative relationships in the community. Among these are our excellent higher-level education institutions including, Baylor University, McLennan Community College, and Texas State Technical College. In the past we have partnered with undergraduate and graduate programs to serve as an internship site. We currently have an intern from Baylor University’s Master of Public Health (MPH) program.  

This MPH graduate student has been creating content with the Heart of Texas RAC for a social media campaign called Think Safe. Be Safe., which will include injury prevention messages on recreational vehicle safety, drug and alcohol awareness, and geriatric fall safety. Keep an eye out for the logo and these important safety messages! 

Wear Red on February 5, 2021

Go Red

This year, the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women encourages everyone to wear red on February 5, 2021 in order to raise awareness for women’s cardiovascular health. Heart disease and stroke are the leading cause of death for women in this country.

Once thought to be a concern only for older (unhealthy) men, we’ve learned that women are equally susceptible to the risks associated with heart disease. With this knowledge we can make actionable decisions in our every day lives to reduce the risk of adverse events. It’s important to remember that heart disease affects not just the person that falls ill, but their loved ones, as well. We all play a role in improving our health and the health of those around us. That’s why we encourage you to not only take steps to improve your health but start your own “coalition” of women that commit to wellness. Share your experience with the Heart of Texas RAC. Share it loud and share it proud. There is nothing more powerful than a woman on a mission…except a group of women.

Check out these great tips on preventing cardiovascular disease from the American Heart Association.

Virtually the Same

It’s been nearly a whole year since we all adopted new practices to accomplish even the most basic tasks. Remember when video conferencing was a cool alternative to in-person meetings? Remember how you never even once thought about toilet paper stocking levels or store stocking schedules? Until you did. A lot.

While we’re no longer experiencing extraordinary secondary effects of pandemic response activities there are some changes that have become completely normal. Virtual meetings are expected, easy, and now accessible to practically everyone. There are so many options available for organizations of all sizes and lots of free options that exist. Cost of this type of software is no longer a barrier like it once was. Virtual meetings have also reduced the amount of time we put into commuting. The physical paperwork we print has also decreased with virtual meetings. Unless, of course, participants elect to print out their materials. Overall, we’ve discovered a lot of positive outcomes with these changes.

We’ve heard for months now how much people actually miss meeting in-person. We miss it, too! There is definitely no substitute for the collegial atmosphere when mission-driven healthcare professionals come together. For now, we’ll continue to make it work. So remember to pick a cool virtual background, mute your mic if you’re not speaking, and get ready to participate. We look forward to the day when we’re all able to safely gather. 

The first series of appointments has already gone out for our first quarter meetings.

Face Masks Proven Effective

There has been so much information since these pandemic response activities began early one year ago. The last twelve months have offered a deluge of information. One of the more commonplace topics of this last year centers around mask-wearing. While masks were initially discouraged in order to preserve vital PPE for frontline healthcare workers, the guidance evolved and called on all individuals to do their part to reduce the risk of spreading SARS-CoV-2. It is believed that COVID-19 is spread through droplets we generate when we talk, breathe, cough, or sneeze. As a result, it makes perfect sense that if we interrupt the path the droplets take when we create them then there’s a good chance we can also interrupt the likelihood of spreading the infection. The level of protection offered by cloth face covering varies depending on many different variables such as material, how well it’s worn, proximity, and other variables.

Studies have shown that multi-layer masks can block nearly 80% of the droplets that a person generates. That’s nearly as effective as surgical masks that healthcare workers wear. This does not mean that they can be used interchangeably in the healthcare environment but it does show a great deal of promise for people in the community. If other individuals are wearing a mask then the protection is further enhanced by blocking some of the droplets that person might have otherwise breathed in. That means that each person has the capability of interrupting the spread of the virus!

There are so many examples where mask-wearing has proven effective, both in controlled studies and in real-world settings. To read more about the science behind these studies click here.