The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Preparedness Coordinating Council has elected Donald J. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the department of emergency health sciences, as chairman of the council.
The DSHS promotes optimal health for individuals and communities while providing effective health, mental health and substance abuse services to Texans.
Dr. Gordon joined the DSHS Preparedness Coordinating Council (PCC) in January. The Council oversees preparedness grants made to DSHS in the preparedness arena, including the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Disease Control. It is charged with advising Albert Hawkins, executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and Eduardo J. Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H., commissioner of the DSHS, about the implementation of the Emergency Systems for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) Program of the DHHS. This program is intended to organize, collate and prepare for the mobilization of all categories of volunteers to meet disaster situations in Texas.
The PCC was formed from the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA and Hospital Resources) Oversight Committee and the Bioterrorism Committees. These organizations were designated shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks and both have been folded into the PCC.
As chair, Dr. Gordon is responsible for organizing work groups and facilitating the needs for the council so that it can accomplish its advisory mission.
The council is made up of a diverse group of volunteers, including members of the Texas Medical Association (TMA), the Texas Nurses Association, the American Red Cross and the Texas Hospital Association. Dr. Gordon, a TMA representative, is currently the only San Antonio volunteer on the council.
“It’s necessary that San Antonio and the Health Science Center have input in this council, especially when it comes to the matters of the state,” Dr. Gordon said. “In addition to the Texas Medical Rangers being located here, San Antonio has major military and academic medicine impacts.”
Dr. Gordon also serves on the local committee of the Regional Emergency Medical Preparedness Steering Committee (REMPSC) and the Bexar County Medical Society. He volunteers his time to the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, and the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center, where he serves as chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, and is member of the Board of Directors. Dr. Gordon joined the Health Science Center in 1986.
