By EMS1 Staff
DAWSON, Minn. — In an effort to save more lives in rural areas, Southwest Minnesota EMS has received $9.9 million in federal funding to expand its telemedicine capabilities across the region.
The funding, provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Program (SS4A), will allow 54 EMS agencies in the area to equip their ambulances with Avel eCare’s telemedicine services, the company announced.
This initiative aims to improve post-crash care in remote areas where access to hospitals is limited. By providing immediate virtual access to board-certified emergency physicians, paramedics and nurses, first responders will be able to receive guidance and support while en route to medical facilities.
“Funding for this program will significantly enhance our ability to provide life-saving trauma care and help reduce traffic fatalities in rural communities. By partnering with experts from Avel eCare, we can ensure that our EMS teams, no matter how rural, can connect immediately with experienced providers to receive guidance en route to one of our 27 area hospitals — none of which are Level I or II Trauma Centers,” said Ann Jenson, executive director of Southwest Minnesota EMS Corporation.
In the Southwest Minnesota EMS region, motor vehicle crash fatalities are a growing concern, with an average of 35 deaths annually—rising to 48 in 2022—and 124 people seriously injured each year. Long wait times for EMS and extended travel distances to hospitals increase the risk for crash victims. Many are treated by volunteer EMTs rather than full-time paramedics.
Telemedicine can play a critical role in addressing these challenges, said Rebecca Vande Kieft, vice president and general manager of Emergency Services at Avel eCare.
“Treatment doesn’t start when patients arrive at the hospital, but at the first contact with emergency services. In a region where it can take up to 25 minutes for an ambulance to arrive on the scene and another 60 minutes to drive to the nearest hospital, telemedicine can speed access to post-crash care during the critical Golden Hour in medicine, when the patient’s chances of survival are greatest,” said Vande Kieft.
Southwest Minnesota EMS first partnered with Avel eCare in 2023 for a pilot tele-EMS program in two counties. With the new federal funding, the partnership will expand across the entire 18-county region, according to the company. Additionally, the program’s impact will be evaluated by the University of Minnesota’s Translational Center for Resuscitative Trauma Care to assess how telemedicine affects patient outcomes.
Avel eCare’s tele-EMS services are already in use in South Dakota and Nebraska, where agencies report improvements in patient care as well as enhanced recruitment, training, and job satisfaction among EMTs and paramedics.
The grant is part of a larger $1 billion initiative from the SS4A program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program aims to improve roadway safety and reduce deaths and injuries on U.S. roads.
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