Rural emergency medical services training grant - project name: rural emergency medical services training grant population(S) to be served: ness healthcare NFP plans to implement training for EMS…

Rural emergency medical services training grant - project name: rural emergency medical services training grant population(S) to be served: ness healthcare NFP plans to implement training for EMS and first responders who are actively serving the following wholly or partially rural parishes of louisiana: lafayette, evangeline, saint landry, acadia, saint martin, iberia, vermilion, saint mary, washington saint tammany, saint helena, and tangipahoa. Strategies/interventions: a suite of training courses for EMS services will be provided via samhsa's southeast mental health technology transfer center network (MHTTC), with ness healthcare NFP identifying eight separate courses to bolster the competencies and effectiveness of EMS and first responders and meet the requirements for licensing and certifications, as applicable. This training will also increase the number of individuals qualified to work in mobile crisis teams across the catchment area. Through multiple new and existing partnerships, ness healthcare NFP will train and assist with licensure/certifications for EMS and first responder personnel. Committed partners include acadian ambulance service; all deserve advocacy, prevention & treatment (adapt, INC.); ponchatoula police department; and tangipahoa parish coroner's office (TPCO). Pre and post-tests associated with evidenced-based training will serve as data collection instruments/interview protocols. These instruments/protocols will allow ness healthcare NFP to measure competency and impact of training. Follow-up surveys will track metrics related to securing licensure and certifications. Project goals and objectives: ness healthcare NFP aims to recruit and train 500 EMS/first-responder personnel throughout the rural areas across louisiana. There is a need to train EMS, first responders, and dispatchers on 1) identification of MH/SUD crisis in the field; 2) DE-escalation and stabilization techniques; 3) linking with mobile crisis teams; 3) increasing competencies of a small cohort of individuals who could serve as leads on MH/SUD encounters with an overall goal of reducing the intensity of interactions and getting the individual the most appropriate level of treatment.