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Rural Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Trauma – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Trauma.

Rural Emergency Medical Services Integration
Outlines tools and strategies for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to use when integrating with other healthcare providers. Discusses approaches to the integration of medical direction, medical protocols, quality reviews, training and continuing education, and operations, among other topics.
Date: 11/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: National Rural Health Resource Center, Paramedic Foundation, Technical Assistance and Services Center
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Rural First Responder Access to Mental Health Care: A National Crisis
Explores mental health challenges experienced by first responders and increased risk of suicide. Describes barriers to accessing adequate mental healthcare within the scope of their employment, especially in rural areas where services remain limited and stigma may be associated with the need for assistance.
Author(s): Jeffrey Hintz, Carrie Hintz
Date: 10/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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Rural Hospital Closures Reduce Access to Emergency Care
Recognizes the importance of hospital and emergency care services in providing healthcare in rural communities, and discusses the current hospital closure rate. Uses federal data to compare the financial viability of rural and urban hospitals, and the availability of emergency care in rural communities. Suggests policy recommendations for improving access to healthcare and emergency care for rural populations.
Author(s): Tarun Ramesh, Emily Gee
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for American Progress
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2019 Rural Emergency Care Integration Summit: Flex Program Support for Rural EMS: Moving from Loaded Miles to Value-Based Models
Provides an overview of the March 2019 Rural Emergency Care Summit convened by the National Rural Health Resource Center. Explores the role of emergency medical services (EMS) as the healthcare system transitions from volume-based to value-based care. Addresses challenges to EMS and hospital collaboration and strategies for future integration. Discusses how Flex Programs could support rural EMS improvements.
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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Mobile Telehealth Units and Care Coordinators Improve Emergency Care Services for Rural Arizona Patients
Features an Arizona program focused on lowering ER readmissions through care coordination and EMS telehealth services. Explains how the telehealth services are provided via mobile telehealth units. Describes how care coordination helps meet the behavioral health needs of patients with chronic diseases.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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QuickStats: Age-Adjusted Motor Vehicle Traffic Death Rates, by Urban-Rural Status and Sex — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2017
Bar chart showing urban and rural deaths per 100,000 overall, for males, and for females.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 68(25), 573
Date: 06/2019
Type: Chart/Graph
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Association Between Emergency Medical Service Response Time and Motor Vehicle Crash Mortality in the United States
Analyzes data from counties across the United States to determine whether longer emergency medical service (EMS) response times are related to higher fatality rates from motor vehicle crashes. Includes EMS response times based on rurality, population density, proximity to trauma centers, and more.
Author(s): James Byrne, N. Clay Mann, Mengtao Dai, et al.
Citation: JAMA Surgery, 154(4), 286-293
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
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Making Informed Decisions about Rural EMS
Provides an overview of the Informed Self-Determination Process, which can help a rural community make an informed decision about the level of emergency medical services (EMS) response the community wants and will support. Highlights how this approach was used in St. George, Maine.
Author(s): Tami Lichtenberg
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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EMS Agenda 2050: A People-Centered Vision for the Future of Emergency Medical Services
Serves as an update to the 1996 EMS Agenda for the Future. Reports the vision of emergency medical services (EMS) of the future and describes 6 guiding principles to help EMS and communities create a more people-centered EMS system. Discusses challenges specific to rural communities, such as EMS workforce issues.
Additional links: Infographic
Date: 01/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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Improving Rural Systems of Care for Time Critical Diagnoses: A Review of State Flex Program Activities
Examines state Flex program initiatives to improve time critical diagnoses (TCD) care systems and integrate rural emergency medical services (EMS) into area care systems, particularly Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Briefly describes what each of the 17 participating states did to collaborate with EMS stakeholders, enhance TCD capacity, support EMS training, provide technical assistance to local EMS agencies, and collect EMS and TCD data.
Author(s): John A. Gale, Karen Pearson
Date: 01/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Last Updated: 4/22/2024