Partnering to Protect Our Community

At Shannon, our purpose extends far beyond providing exceptional care within our healthcare system. We are dedicated to fostering the health and wellbeing of our community, empowering individuals and helping our entire region thrive. Together with incredible partners in our community, we are part of a Common Thread – a commitment to the greater good that extends beyond the walls of our facilities to strengthen and support the place we call home.

Whether through advancing education, improving access to care or supporting essential partners in our community, Shannon is woven into the fabric of San Angelo and the Concho Valley, strengthening and supporting the place we call home.

We are celebrating and sharing stories of the incredible work in action across the Concho Valley by our Shannon Team and our invaluable community partners. These partnerships and outreach efforts help ensure that care and support are always within reach for those who need it.

One of the programs at Shannon that relies heavily on partnerships in our community is the Trauma Prevention and Education Program. Amy Coats, BSN, RN, CEN, is the Director of Trauma Services at Shannon.

“Our Trauma program assesses the number of trauma patients and the different types of injuries that come to our facility, and then we create a plan focused on how we can educate the community and work to prevent these injuries,” said Coats. “Our work is truly a collaboration with San Angelo Fire Department, San Angelo Police Department, DPS, TXDOT, the Concho Valley RAC, area EMS services and so many more.”

Safe Kids San Angelo is one of the outreach programs at Shannon that provides education and resources focused on child injury prevention including care seat safety, helmet safety and safe sleep practices.

“Our Safe Kids Coordinator will host car seat checks with other local agencies, and they make sure the families that come to these events have the proper car seats for their children and that the seats are properly installed. If they don’t have a car seat, they will give them one and make sure they leave knowing their child is safe.”

The team also hosts a water safety event every year in June at Lake Nasworthy, alongside many other local agencies who provide summer safety information to parents. They also provide free life jackets to kids and ensure they are properly fitted.

“Not only do we get to pass out these life jackets to the families and children that come, but they leave with lots of different education like hands-only CPR, wilderness safety and bike safety. It’s all-inclusive, really focusing and making sure that parents leave there feeling fulfilled with what they need.”

Other programs during the year include fall prevention for older individuals, gun safety, and Stop the Bleed training and CPR training at employer sites and schools. Shannon recently became a member of the Trauma Survivors Network, a program that provides support resources for patients and their family after a traumatic injury.

Along with injury prevention outreach, the Trauma Program also works to provide education for healthcare providers in the region to ensure they have the latest information for treating patients with traumatic injuries. For more than 20 years, Shannon has hosted the Gus Eckhardt Trauma Symposium, which brings in experts in trauma care from throughout Texas and beyond. The educational conference is offered at no cost to EMTs, nurses, physicians and other healthcare providers in the Concho Valley.

“It is important for us to include all of our partners in the region, because Shannon covers a wide area, and we all work together to provide the very best care for patients. Our regional partners are often the first point of care for patients and it’s important to share these resources with them.”

Coats said ensuring that the best possible care is provided to the trauma patients is so important, because it could be our family and our friends.

“With our injury prevention events within the community, what is so rewarding is seeing that mom’s face when you can provide them with a car seat when they didn’t have one, or making sure that their child’s safe with it being properly installed. There are hardly words for how awesome it is to watch them be provided with what they need.”

To see more inspiring stories featuring our community partners, visit our website at www.ShannonHealth.com/ Commonthread.