Texas EMS-Trauma and Emergency Healthcare System Performance Improvement Plan

A draft document of the Texas EMS-Trauma and Emergency Healthcare System Performance Improvement Plan (PI) is now available for review.

Statewide system performance improvement is a collaborative effort between DSHS, the Governor’s EMS and Trauma Advisory Council (GETAC), the Regional Advisory Councils, and stakeholders to monitor, evaluate, and improve processes of care and outcomes.

If you have questions or comments on the document, please email GETAC@dshs.texas.gov.

• GETAC Standard Operating Procedures 

• GETAC Web Posting Policy 

• GETAC Data Request Flow Chart 

American College of Surgeons (ACS) TQP best practices guidelines 

• ACS TQP- Abuse best practices guidelines 

• ACS TQP- Palliative care best practices guidelines 

• ACS TQP- Spinal injury guidelines 

External links to other sites are intended to be informational and do not have the endorsement of the Texas Department of State Health Services. These sites may also not be accessible to persons with disabilities. 
For more information, please e-mail us.  

Positions on the Governor’s EMS and Trauma Advisory Council (GETAC) are appointed by the Governor of Texas. To apply for an appointed position, you must submit an application through the Office of the Governor. GETAC is listed as Emergency Medical Services, Advisory Council on (Statute) under the “Healthcare” section on the Appointed Positions webpage.

The Governor has appointed the following individuals to serve on the Governor's EMS and Trauma Advisory Council. The council recommends changes to the EMS/Trauma System to ensure the community receives comprehensive and efficient emergency care.

Alan H. Tyroch, M.D., F.A.C.S. 
Council Chair 
Trauma Surgeon Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(14) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2030

Alan Tyroch, M.D., of El Paso, is the Chair of Surgery at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and the Chief of Surgery and Trauma Medical Director at the University Medical Center of El Paso. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons, Texas Surgical Society, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Society of Critical Care Medicine, Southwestern Surgical Congress, Western Surgical Association, American Trauma Society, Pediatric Trauma Society, Texas Medical Association, and El Paso County Medical Society. Tyroch received an Associate’s in Applied Sciences from Temple College, a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Texas A&M University, and a Doctor of Medicine from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He completed a general surgery internship at Baylor College of Medicine, a general surgery residency at Phoenix Integrated Surgical Residency Program, and a Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the University of California of San Francisco, Fresno campus. 

Ryan Matthews, LP 
Council Vice Chair 
Private EMS Provider Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(5) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2028 
 
Ryan Matthews of Holliday is the president and CEO of Trans Star Ambulance in Wichita Falls and is a Licensed Paramedic. He is a member of the Texas EMS Alliance, the American Ambulance Association, and the Texas State Firemen and Fire Marshal’s Association. He is also treasurer and volunteer paramedic for the Holliday Volunteer Fire and Rescue and is the North Texas representative for the Emergency Medical Task Force. Matthews received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from Texas Tech University. 

Donald “Donny” Booth
Rural Trauma Facility Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(11) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2028 

Donald “Donny” Booth of Andrews is the CEO of Permian Regional Medical Center. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Emergency Nurses Association, American Organization of Nurse Executives, Texas Organization for Nursing Leadership, Texas Nurses Association, and the Andrews Downtown Lions Club. Booth received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The University of Texas (UT) at El Paso, a Master of Science in Nursing from UT Arlington, and a Master of Business Administration from UT Tyler.

Michael S. “Mike” Clements, EMT-P 
EMS Fire Department Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(9) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2026 
 
Mike Clements of Cypress is an Assistant Chief with the Cy-Fair Fire Department and a Captain with the City of College Station Fire Department. He is a member of the Texas State Association of Firefighters and the International Association of Firefighters. He is a Cy-Fair Chamber of Commerce member, serves on the Eagle Scout Review Board for the Boy Scouts of America, Big Cypress District, and previously was president of the College Station Professional Fire Fighters Association. Clements received an associate’s degree from Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado, a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Texas A&M University, and a Master of Public Administration from Stephen F. Austin State University. 

James M. (Mike) DeLoach 
County EMS Provider Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(12) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2026 

James M. (Mike) DeLoach owns West Texas EMS Resources and is Lamb County Judge. He is a board member of the South Plains Association of Governments and an executive board member of the Trauma Services Area B Regional Advisory Council (TSA-B RAC). He is also a Licensed Paramedic and has had an EMS Certification for 40 years. He is also a member of the Littlefield Rotary Club. DeLoach received a bachelor's degree from Wayland Baptist University and completed emergency medical technician training in 1987 at the Texas Tech University Health Science Center. 

Brian Eastridge, MD 
Urban Trauma Facility Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(10) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2026 
 
Brian J. Eastridge, M.D., of San Antonio, is a professor and Chief of the Division of Trauma and Emergency General Surgery at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Eastridge received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. During medical school, he entered the U.S. Army Reserve as a second lieutenant Medical Service Corps officer. He completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Maryland Medical System, then pursued fellowship training in surgical critical care at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He went onto active duty in the United States Army and served as Trauma Medical Director for the Brooke Army Medical Center. He was appointed the first Joint Theater Trauma System Director responsible for initiating a first-of-its-kind, formal combat trauma system on the battlefield. Subsequently, he served as the director of the Joint Trauma System (United States Army Institute of Surgical Research of the Army's Medical Research and Material Command) and Trauma Consultant to the United States Army Surgeon General. For his military service in system development and improving combat casualty care, he was awarded the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command Combat Casualty Care Program Award for Excellence. With six combat deployments, his military awards and decorations include the Combat Medical Badge, Combat Action Badge, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and the Joint Service Commendation Medal. He is also a member of the prestigious Order of Military Medical Merit. 

Colonel Eastridge left active service, joined the Department of Surgery faculty at UT Health San Antonio, and transitioned back into the US Army Reserves in late 2012. He currently serves as the Division Chief, Trauma and Emergency General Surgery.  Dr. Eastridge is also currently Vice Chairman of the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC) and Chairman of the region PI Committee. In addition, he is an appointed member of the Texas Governor’s EMS and Trauma Advisory Council (GETAC). He was appointed to the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma National Faculty and is the Chairman of the Trauma Systems Committee and Trauma System Pillar. In 2023, he was appointed Medical Director of the Military Health System Strategic Partnership American College of Surgeons (MHSSPACS).

Della Johnson, RN 
RN w/Trauma Expertise Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(15) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2026 
 
Della Johnson of Mesquite is a trauma service manager with Parkland Health and Hospital System. Her certifications include CPR, ACLS, PALS, BDLS, ABLS, CEN, and ATCN, which she also serves as an instructor. Johnson received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Prairie View A&M University. 

Billy "Scott" Lail, EMT-P, FP-C 
Fire Chief Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(4) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2028 

Scott Lail of Glen Rose is the Fire Chief for the City of Cleburne Fire Department. He is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the Texas Fire Chief’s Association and a former member of the International Association of Firefighters. He has been in Fire and EMS for 33 years and holds his Master Firefighter certification, as well as his Flight Paramedic certification. Lail received an associate’s degree in Fire Science from Cleburne Hill College. 

Sharon Ann Malone, MD 
EMS Medical Director Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(2) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2030
 
Sharon Malone, M.D. of Van Alstyne, is the medical director of EMS services in Grayson, Lamar, Dallas, and Tarrant counties. In addition, she is the EMS Education Medical Director for Collin College EMS Education and Paris Junior College EMS Education Programs. She is a Diplomat of the American Board of Emergency Medicine and a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, National Association of EMS Physicians, and the National Association of EMS Educators. Malone received a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Southern Methodist University and a Doctor of Medicine from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. 

Ruben A. Martinez  
Public Member Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(18) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2028 

Ruben A. Martinez of Premont is President and CEO of Zenitram Enterprises LLC. He served on the Youth Advisory Board for the National Institute of Health and the COVID-19 Prevention Network. He is the former President of the Chancellor's Student Advisory Council for the Texas A&M System and former Student Body President at Texas A&M University–Kingsville. Martinez is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts at Texas A&M University–Kingsville. 

Peter W. "Pete" Marocco 
Public Member Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(18) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2026 

Pete Marocco of Dallas is the Executive Director of the Dallas Hero Initiative, the Managing Director of Endstate Strategies LLC, and serves on the advisory council for the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Marocco received a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from Florida State University, a Master of International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford, and an LL.M. from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law.

Brian Petrilla, EMT-P
Certified Paramedic Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(17) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2030

Brian Petrilla of Tomball has over three decades of experience in emergency medical services and firefighting. He currently serves as the assistant chief of EMS for Fort Bend County, overseeing the critical operations and management of emergency services. Petrilla spent 25 years with the City of Houston Fire Department as a Firefighter Paramedic and Aircraft Rescue Firefighter. He is a former member of the Governor’s Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Advisory Council EMS Committee, former chair of the Texas EMS Trauma & Acute Care EMS Committee, and former co-chair of the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council (SETRAC) Preparedness Committee and the Lone Star College EMS Advisory Board. Petrilla has received multiple certifications from San Jacinto College and Houston Community College. He is a certified EMT-Paramedic and has earned numerous specialized qualifications, including Supervising Paramedic Officer through the American College of Paramedic Executives. He is a former Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) Basic Firefighter, Hazardous Material Technician, Advanced Hazmat Life Support, and Aircraft Rescue Firefighter.

Cassie Potvin, DNP, RN, CPEN, NEA-BC 
Registered Nurse Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(3) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2026 

Cassie Potvin is the Trauma Service Line Director at Dell Children’s Medical Center (DCMC), a level 1 pediatric trauma center in Austin, Texas. Cassie oversees all clinical care for trauma patients, including establishing evidence-based trauma guidelines that guide the care plans for all injured patients at DCMC. Cassie also oversees the trauma and surgical advance practice team, the trauma research, injury prevention, child abuse research and education team (CARE), and the Level I surgical verification team.

Cassie began her nursing education at Central Texas College with an Associate in Applied Sciences in 2002. She then obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor in 2012. In 2017, Cassie obtained her Master's in Nursing Administration from Texas Tech University Health Science Center. In May 2023, Cassie completed her Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Texas, Austin. 

Daniel "Danny" Ramirez, EMT-P 
Stand-Alone EMS Agency Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(16) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2028 
 
Daniel "Danny" Ramirez of San Juan is the EMS Chief for the City of Pharr. He is a member of the Texas City Managers Association and the Texas EMS Association and volunteers for the Pharr Volunteer Fire Department. Ramirez received an Emergency Medical Technician degree from Texas State Technical College. 

Taylor Ratcliff, MD, FACEP, FAEMS FF/EMT-LP 
EMS Educator Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(7) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2030

Taylor Ratcliff, M.D. of Temple, is the Central Texas Division Director of Pre-Hospital Medicine and Assistant Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, Temple. He is an EMS physician providing medical direction to several central Texas EMS providers and first responders, including the Williamson County EMS system, Marble Falls Area EMS, and Robertson County EMS. Ratcliff also provides Travis County DCPE and STAR Flight associate medical direction services. He is also the Temple College EMS Health Professions program associate medical director. Ratcliff is the current president of the Texas Chapter of the National Association of EMS Physicians.

Additionally, he is a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians, the National Association of EMS Physicians, and the Texas Medical Association and a site visitor for the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions. He is active in disaster medicine and is the EMTF Region 7 medical director. Ratcliff received a Doctor of Medicine from Texas Tech University Health Science Center School of Medicine and is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and EMS Medicine. 

Katherine E. "Kate" Remick, M.D. 
Pediatrician Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(13) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2028 

Katherine "Kate" Remick, M.D. of Austin, is an associate professor for Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin and serves as the Medical Director for the San Marcos Hays County EMS System. She is a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians, the National Association of EMS Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Steering Committee. Additionally, she is the medical director of the Emergency Pediatric Care Course with the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, volunteers for the Research Leadership Group for ESO Solutions, and co-director of the National Pediatric Readiness Project. Remick received a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona and a Doctor of Medicine from The University of Texas Medical Branch. 

Shawn Salter, RN 
EMS Air Medical Service Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(8) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2030

Shawn Salter of Tyler is the Chief Administrative Officer for CHRISTUS EMS and CHRISTUS Flight For Life.  He is a Registered Nurse, a Licensed Paramedic, and a Certified Medical Transport Executive.  He is the past president of the Texas Association of Air Medical Services and previous Region IV Director for the International Association of Air Medical Services, where he chaired the Standards Committee.  He is a member of the Air & Surface Transport Nursing Association and the International Association of Critical Care Flight Paramedics. Salter attended Abilene Christian University and obtained his nursing degree from San Jacinto Junior College.  He is an active member of the Piney Woods RAC (RAC-G).

Rodney Tidwell, EMT-P
EMS Volunteer Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(6) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2030

Rodney Tidwell of Post is a field paramedic for University Medical Center EMS in Lubbock and the EMS Administrator for the Post-Garza County EMS. He is a former City Council Member for the City of Post and a former Firefighter with the Post Volunteer Fire Department. Tidwell received an EMS Certificate from South Plains College.

Gerad Troutman, MD, FACEP 
Emergency Physician Per Health and Safety Code §773.012(b)(1) 
Term Expires: 01/01/2026 
 
Gerad Troutman, M.D. of Lubbock, is the EMS Medical Director for Lubbock and Amarillo and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He is a past president of the Texas College of Emergency Physicians. Currently, he serves as a Delegate to the House for the Texas Medical Association and a committee member of the American College of Emergency Physicians, and he is a member of the National Association of EMS Physicians and the Texas Association of EMS Physicians. Additionally, he volunteers as a member of Lions Club International. Troutman received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Midwestern State University, a Master of Business Administration from West Texas A&M University, and a Doctor of Medicine from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.