Project Grant H79TI086728

FY 2023 RURAL EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES TRAINING - POPULATION SERVED: SANFORD HEALTH EMS EDUCATION IS FORTUNATE TO BE THE RECIPIENT OF THREE CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF FUNDING UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE SAMHSA RURAL EMS TRAINING PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAMMATIC CONTINUITY HAS ENABLED SHEMSE TO BUILD STRONG AND EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS AN EXPANDING AREA OF RURAL AND FRONTIER NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA AND MINNESOTA. IN FY 2023, THE RURAL POPULATIONS ACROSS THESE PROJECT PARTNERS WILL BENEFIT FROM CONTINUED TRAINING, CERTIFICATION, AND RECERTIFICATION OF NEW AND EXISTING EMS PROVIDERS. THE PROPOSED PROGRAM WILL ALSO IDENTIFY THE ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED WITH TREATMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND THE INTERRELATIONSHIP WITH TRAUMA-INFORMED, RECOVERY-BASED CARE, TO IDENTIFY LINKAGES FOR PATIENT FOLLOW UP TREATMENT. PROJECT GOALS/OBJECTIVES: THE OVERARCHING PURPOSE OF THE SAMHSA FY 2023 RURAL EMS TRAINING PROGRAM AS PROPOSED IS TO RECRUIT, TRAIN AND MAINTAIN EMS PERSONNEL THAT CAN EFFECTIVELY AND COMPASSIONATELY SERVE RURAL POPULATIONS. THESE PROVIDERS WILL BE COGNIZANT AND PROACTIVE IN THEIR ABILITY TO ADDRESS PATIENTS WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS, PARTICULARLY AS THEY CO-OCCUR WITH MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS AND/OR PRIOR TRAUMA, INCLUDING RECOVERY CARE OPTIONS. A SECOND PRIORITY WILL FOCUS ON STRATEGIES TO IDENTIFY AND LINK PATIENTS WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS AND CO-OCCURRING MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS TO COMPREHENSIVE AND INTEGRATED THERAPY OPTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES. PROJECT STRATEGIES/INTERVENTIONS: THE PROPOSED SAMSHA FY 2023 RURAL EMS TRAINING PROGRAM WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN TWO INTEGRATED TRACKS. EMT AND PARAMEDIC STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP CANDIDATES WILL BE IDENTIFIED AND TRAINED ACROSS THE PROJECT PARTNERSHIP AREA, TO ADDRESS THE ONGOING SHORTAGE OF RURAL EMS PROVIDERS. THIS CERTIFICATION PROGRAMMING WILL BE AUGMENTED WITH SPECIALIZED TRAINING ON MENTAL AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS, TOGETHER WITH OPTIONS FOR TRAUMA-INFORMED RECOVERY-BASED TREATMENT OPTIONS. THE CURRENT SCOPE OF PRACTICE FOR EMS PROVIDERS FOCUSES GENERALLY ON THE PROVISION OF SHORT-TERM, TRANSIENT CARE TO ADDRESS SUDDEN, UNPLANNED MEDICAL EMERGENCIES. THE ADAGE OF "ARRIVE ALIVE" IS FOLLOWED BY A PATIENT HAND OFF TO THE DESTINATION EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT FOR MORE DEFINITIVE CARE. HOWEVER, THE CONTINUING PREVALENCE OF MENTAL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS THAT REACH THE LEVEL OF A MEDICAL EMERGENCY REQUIRES COORDINATION BETWEEN EMS, MEDICAL/CLINICAL PRACTITIONERS, PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALISTS, AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE-TARGETED TREATMENT SYSTEMS. IN ADDITION, A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE FOR SHEMSE'S RURAL PARTNERS IS THE OVERALL LACK OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE RESOURCES, BY AVAILABILITY AND DISTANCE. THE PROPOSED STRATEGY WILL LAUNCH WITH AN ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT LEVEL OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS ENCOUNTERED BY EMS PRACTITIONERS, COUPLED WITH A REALISTIC MEASURE OF THE EXISTING MENTAL HEALTH WORKFORCE ACROSS THE PARTNER AREA. THIS WILL INCLUDE AN EVALUATION OF THE CROSS COORDINATION BETWEEN PROVIDERS AT THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE, EMERGENCY ROOM, AND MENTAL HEALTH/SUD SERVICE LEVELS. THIS ASSESSMENT WILL CULMINATE IN A SERIES OF ROUNDTABLES TO IDENTIFY EXISTING OPTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERACTIVE TREATMENT COORDINATION AND COOPERATION. IN ADDITION, THE EXPANSION OF SANFORD'S COMMUNITY PARAMEDIC PROGRAM THROUGH CERTIFICATION TRAINING FOR RURAL PARTNERS WILL BE EXPLORED AS AN ADDITIONAL MEANS OF EFFECTIVE, IN-DEPTH CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS. THE SAMHSA FY 2023 EMS TRAINING PROJECT WILL IMPLEMENT A STRUCTURED, ITERATIVE MONITORING AND DATA COLLECTION PROCESS TO DRIVE ONGOING PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND TO STRENGTHEN SHORT- AND LONG-TERM OUTCOMES. THE PROJECT DIRECTOR WILL OVERSEE AN ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT APPROACH THAT UTILIZES REQUIRED DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING.