Vicente Gonzalez Secures Federal Funding to Boost Trauma Care Across South Texas

Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) announced $800,000 in federal funding for the Rio Grande Valley Regional Advisory Council on Trauma, a nonprofit that coordinates trauma care and emergency medical services across four South Texas counties.

The funding, provided through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All program, will support a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan to improve post-crash care and training at Regional Medical Operations Centers. The effort will also focus on regional coordination, performance analysis and testing real-time technology to track trauma resources and prehospital blood supplies, helping improve EMS response, resource availability and survival rates.

“Safer streets require stronger investments in our communities,” Rep. Gonzalez said. “Today’s announcement gives our trauma centers additional resources and support to deliver the best possible care in life-or-death situations where every second matters.”

Rep. Gonzalez and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted in 2021, made the project possible by allocating $5 billion over five years between 2022 and 2026 to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.

The Rio Grande Valley Trauma Regional Advisory Council works to improve specialized health care for South Texans through education, outreach and regional collaboration. Its Trauma Service Area V covers Cameron, Willacy, Hidalgo and Starr counties, which are served by 13 hospitals, including 12 designated trauma facilities.

Rep. Gonzalez, who was just re-elected in Texas’ 34th Congressional District, said he has brought down nearly $8 billion in federal funding for the region since being elected to Congress in 2016.

“I will continue working with our federal and local partners to build on these investments to create a better future for South Texas families,” he said.