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What is RETAC

Colorado has 11 Regional Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Advisory Councils (RETAC). RETACs are authorized by statute to provide a coordinated approach to emergency medical and trauma care. Each council consists of five or more participating counties. Each RETAC is responsible for creating an implementation plan for delivering emergency medical and trauma care in the region.

The San Luis Valley Regional Emergency Medical and Trauma Advisory Council is comprised of members representing ten EMS agencies, three hospitals and related partners in the San Luis Valley region of Colorado.

where we serve

Announcements

Ground Ambulance License UpdatesRecently, the Department has heard concerns from ground ambulance services in a variety of jurisdictions they are being informed by counties their county licenses expiring in March 2024 or later will not be renewed. However, existing law remains in effect through June 30, 2024, and requires counties and cities-and-counties to license and permit ground ambulance services and vehicles through June 30, 2024. Counties’ and city-and-counties’ continuing exercise of this authority is necessary for two critical reasons: 

  • Ground ambulance services must be licensed in good standing by the appropriate legal regulatory authority to receive reimbursement for their EMS transport services through June 30, 2024, and 

  • Ground ambulance agencies that hold a valid county or city-and-county issued license as of June 30, 2024 will be eligible to receive, at no cost, an initial state license and state permit for each ambulance vehicle under the new state licensure program, effective July 1, 2024.  

Please be advised that all ground ambulance services must be licensed in good standing by the count[ies] and city-and-count[ies] in which they operate through June 30, 2024.

An unofficial version of the rules can be downloaded from our website. Additionally, new video resources for onboarding are now available:

Video: How to become a gatekeeper

Video: How to complete an organizational profile 

Video: How to complete a Ground Ambulance Onboarding application

Video: How to add/remove vehicle roster on the ground ambulance onboarding application

More than ninety ground ambulance services have submitted the ground ambulance license onboarding application. The application is available through the Online Application Tracking Hub (OATH). The deadline for submission is May 1.

More information click here. Questions or technical assistance, contact the Ground Ambulance Program or call 303-691-4932.

Legal Status Rule Update – Prior to July 1, 2022, Colorado state law required state and local agencies to verify the lawful presence of certain applicants for public benefits, which include professional, occupational, and commercial licenses. Consequently, certain provisions in 6 CCR 1015-3 require applicants for EMS registrations or certifications, Emergency Medical Responder registrations, and air ambulance change of ownerships to provide “proof of lawful presence in the United States in compliance with Section 24-76.5-103(4), C.R.S.”

Senate Bill 21-199 repealed and reenacted this “lawful presence” requirement. Effective July 1, 2022, the new law affirmatively states that lawful presence is no longer an eligibility requirement for state or local public benefits. Consequently, rule sets that require proof of lawful presence no longer conform to existing law and must be changed. These proposed rules result from the Department’s alignment of its rules with current law. 

This mandatory statutory change impacts all applicants for public benefits, as defined by law, not only health facilities and EMS applicants. Consequently, the Department will not be engaging in a stakeholder process but is, instead, distributing the proposed rules to stakeholders for review. The Department will accept comments concerning the proposed rule changes via Google Form through Feb. 19.   

Questions or for assistance click here

EMTS Data Section Requests Prevention Efforts Information — The State Emergency Medical and Trauma Advisory Council Prevention Committee is seeking information and input about local and regional prevention efforts. Topics sought include, but are not limited to, firearms-related injuries, suicide, motor vehicle safety, child maltreatment, infant safe sleep, stroke, cardiac arrest, sexual violence, and opioid overdoses. Contact the EMTS Data Team to submit information or to request more information.

Rural Emergency Medical Services Training Grant — The purpose of this program is to recruit and train EMS personnel in rural areas with a particular focus on addressing substance use disorders (SUD) and co-occurring disorders (COD) substance use and mental disorders. Recipients will be expected to train EMS personnel on SUD and COD, trauma-informed, recovery-based care for people with such disorders in emergency situations and, as appropriate, to maintain licenses and certifications relevant to serve in an EMS agency. More information click here.