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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