HERO-II: Helping train EMS in the Rural Ozarks II - CoxHealth requests $199,994 from SAMHSA for HERO-II: Helping train EMS in the Rural Ozarks II. The purpose of HERO-II is to continue recruitment and training of individuals in rural Douglas County, MO and add recruitment and training opportunities in rural Stone and Taney County, MO. The goal is for recruits and trainees to become vital health care providers in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) through certification, and for HERO-II to provide continuing education units (CEUs) for active EMTs in rural Douglas and Stone counties in southwest Missouri, a medically underserved region, to offer continued increased access to care.
HERO-II will expand on the current SAMHSA Rural EMS HERO grant (Award No. 1H79TI083846-01) that is currently training EMS recruits in Douglas and Dade County to graduate in May of 2022. The current class is vital in addressing the CoxHealth EMS staffing shortages in Douglas and Dade County and retaining EMS services in the rural community. Additional funding with HERO-II will help provide a long-term, sustainable solution by providing more opportunities for Douglas County and new opportunities for Stone and Taney County residents to train and become EMTs, working in their communities.
CoxHealth, with its partner Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC), will reach the goal through the following Objectives: 1) By September 14, 2022, HERO will recruit 24 individuals and train them to become certified EMS personnel by August 31, 2023. 2) By February 1, 2023, HERO Program Director will purchase grant-funded equipment and supplies for training and continuing education units. 3) By August 31, 2023, HERO will purchase virtual training supplies and provide 2,528 hours of continuing education to 34 EMS personnel.
The HERO-II geographic catchment area includes Douglas, Stone, and Taney counties in rural southwest Missouri. The HERO-II population of focus is high school seniors preparing for graduation, CoxHealth employees seeking job advancement, residents in industries experiencing layoffs and closures, and residents seeking career opportunities beyond the service based industry. Douglas, Stone, and Taney County residents have higher rates of uninsured individuals, more residents living in poverty compared to the state, and lower levels of education and median household income. The target population was selected due to the residents in Douglas and Stone counties suffering from a vast shortage in EMS providers, high poverty rates, and designated rural and HPSA low income statuses in primary care and mental health.
