Governor Abbott suspends elective surgeries in Southeast Texas counties

Governor Greg Abbott issued a Proclamation July 9 suspending elective surgeries in hospitals in all counties located within 11 Trauma Service Areas (TSAs) in Texas, including Jefferson, Orange, Hardin, Chambers and other Southeast Texas counties. Previously, Governor Abbott suspended elective surgeries at hospitals in the counties of Bexar, Cameron, Dallas, Harris, Hidalgo, Nueces, Travis and Webb.

“The State of Texas continues to implement strategies to help ensure ample supply of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients,” said Governor Abbott. “By expanding this directive to include the counties within these 11 TSAs, we are freeing up more resources to address upticks in COVID-19 related cases. The State of Texas will continue to do everything we can to mitigate the spread of this virus and support our hospitals and health care professionals as they care for their fellow Texans. We must all come together and continue to practice social distancing, wear a face covering in public, and stay home when possible.”

Under his proclamation, the governor directs all hospitals in these counties to postpone surgeries and procedures that are not immediately, medically necessary to correct a serious medical condition or to preserve the life of a patient who without immediate performance of the surgery or procedure would be at risk for serious adverse medical consequences or death, as determined by the patient’s physician. Through proclamation, the governor can add or subtract from the list of counties included in his original Executive Order and subsequent proclamations to address surges in hospitalizations that may arise in other parts of the state.

Texas is divided into 22 regions TSAs overseen by a regional advisory council (RAC). According to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) website, RACs “are the administrative bodies responsible for trauma system oversight within the bounds of a given Trauma Service Area in Texas. Each of the 22 RACs is tasked with developing, implementing, and monitoring a regional emergency medical service trauma system plan.”

Southeast Texas is in TSA R, the “East Texas Gulf Coast RAC.” For more information about TSA R visit https://rac-r.com/, email racrinfo@bcesd3.com or call (281) 519-8780. For more information about TSAs and contact information for your local RAC and its officers, visit the DSHS website at https://www.dshs.texas.gov/emstraumasystems/etrarac.shtm.

The following counties are included in the governor’s most recent proclamation:

All counties within TSA J – Andrews, Brewster, Crane, Ector, Glasscock, Howard, Jeff Davis, Loving, Martin, Midland, Pecos, Presidio, Reeves, Terrell, Upton, Ward, and Winkler counties;

All counties within TSA K – Coke, Concho, Crockett, Irion, Kimble, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Reagan, Runnels, Schleicher, Sterling, Sutton, and Tom Green counties;

All counties within TSA M – Bosque, Falls, Hill, Limestone, and McLennan counties;

All counties within TSA O that are not already covered by Executive Order GA-27 – Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, San Saba, and Williamson counties;

All counties within TSA P that are not already covered by Executive Order GA-27 – Atascosa, Bandera, Comal, Dimmit, Edwards, Frio, Gillespie, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kinney, La Salle, Maverick, Medina, Real, Uvalde, Val Verde, Wilson, and Zavala counties;

All counties within TSA Q that are not already covered by Executive Order GA-27 – Austin, Colorado, Fort Bend, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller, and Wharton counties;

All counties within TSA R – Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, and Orange counties;

All counties within TSA S – Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Jackson, Lavaca, and Victoria counties;

All counties within TSA T that are not already covered by Executive Order GA-27—Jim Hogg and Zapata counties;

All counties within TSA U that are not already covered by Executive Order GA-27 – Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Live Oak, McMullen, Refugio, and San Patricio counties; and

All counties within TSA V that are not already covered by Executive Order GA-27 – Starr and Willacy counties.