Cultivating rural emergency service training (crest) in rural GA - the cultivating rural emergency services training (crest) in rural GA project will serve more than 50,000 residents across four…

Cultivating rural emergency service training (crest) in rural GA - the cultivating rural emergency services training (crest) in rural GA project will serve more than 50,000 residents across four counties for rural south-central georgia. Through a partnership with two academic institutions (albany technical college, albany state university) crest will achieve the following outcomes - (1) implement a comprehensive recruitment and training plan to bring more qualified paramedics to EMS providers in crisp's service area; (2) engage six (6) new aemts, six (6) new EMT/aemts (a combined program that trains basic EMT and graduate trainees into aemts), and six (6) paramedics (who are current crisp emts) to complete education and training programs leading to full certification; (3) purchase three (3) new chest compression (CPR) systems, and (4) train 35 EMS service members in new compression system. The primary goal of the crest project is to increase capacity of community EMS agencies to provide critical care transport leading to improved health outcomes for those in the region requiring EMS services. Residents of the counties face unique health and socioeconomic challenges, including higher obesity, uninsured, and injury-related deaths compared to the rest of georgia, a state that already experienced among the poorest health outcomes in the country. With this funding, the crest project will increase the survival rate for individuals in need of emergency services by recruiting, training, and certifying additional emergency medical personnel in rural georgia. Crest will target people in rural georgia communities who are interested in pursuing a career in EMS. The aemt and paramedic trainees will be solicited from crisp emts as well as the local community and institutions of higher education, trained using curricula currently used by the three partner institutions. With this funding a higher number of technicians will be suited to serve this rural population in need of support during emergency situations.