WGH EMS training and enhancement project (WGH-EMSTEP) - the purpose of the wabash general hospital (WGH) emergency medical services (EMS) training and enhancement project is to improve EMS care for…

WGH EMS training and enhancement project (WGH-EMSTEP) - the purpose of the wabash general hospital (WGH) emergency medical services (EMS) training and enhancement project is to improve EMS care for the rural residents of wabash county, illinois (IL), by supporting trainings that will expand the EMS workforce and enhance the workforce's responsiveness to substance use disorders (SUD) and CO-occurring mental health (MH) conditions. The project catchment area is wabash county in rural southern IL, where WGH provides EMS. The population of focus is the current and prospective EMS workforce affiliated with WGH, including emts, paramedics, and ER nurses, along with first responders who collaborate with WGH EMS. Wabash county is less diverse than IL as a whole, with small sizes of minority subpopulations underscoring the need for culturally competent, trauma-informed training and an effort to diversify EMS demographics. Amid rising statewide rates of opioid overdoes, WGH has been operating with a shortage of certified EMS personnel. WGH-EMSTEP will address the workforce shortage and the need to enhance training to include content focused on connecting individuals who experience substance use and CO-occurring mental health disorders with linkages to treatment and peer support. Goal 1 is to increase the size of the EMT and paramedic workforce in wabash county through the implementation of the following objectives: (1) annually recruit three cohorts of eight candidates each for eight-week EMT training courses; (2) by month 3 of year 1, recruit one cohort of 10 candidates for paramedic training courses; (3) annually offer eight-week EMT training courses to three cohorts of eight participants; (4) beginning in month 4, offer the full FCC three-semester paramedic program coursework to one cohort of 10 trainees; (5) by month 3 annually, obtain two items of equipment ($5,000+) to build EMS training capacity; and (6) by month 3 annually, obtain 100% of itemized supplies and teaching materials (less than $5,000 each) necessary for EMS training. Goal 2 is to enhance the ability of local EMT, paramedic, ER, and first responder personnel to address substance use disorders (SUD) and CO-occurring mental health (MH) conditions through the implementation of the following objectives: (1) train 100% of EMT/paramedic candidates and 100% of current EMS staff and associated personnel in mental health first aid (MHFA); (2) train 100% of EMT/paramedic trainees and 100% of current EMS staff and associated personnel in motivational interviewing; (3) train 100% of EMT/paramedic trainees and 100% of current EMS staff and associated personnel in screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment; and (4) train 100% of EMT/paramedic trainees in local procedures for making referrals to treatment, harm reduction services, and peer support for individuals who experience overdose reversal or related SUD and CO-occurring MH crises. Over the project's two-year funding period, WGH will annually recruit and train 24 EMT candidates, for a total of 48 unduplicated, newly trained emts. In year 1, WGH will recruit 10 paramedic candidates and offer a full three-semester paramedic training program spanning years 1 and 2, for a total of 10 unduplicated, newly trained paramedics. All EMT and paramedic trainees will receive SUD/MH trainings as part of their coursework. The project will also annually include 20 existing WGH EMS staff and personnel from associated first-responder agencies in the trainings addressing SUD and CO-occurring MH conditions, for a total of 40 existing/associated personnel trained throughout the grant period. The total number of unduplicated individuals to be trained to contribute to the rural EMS workforce in wabash county over the life of the project is 98.