CLARKESVILLE - North Georgia Technical College (NGTC) was recently awarded a $97,900 Rural Business Development Grant to improve ambulance-based safety and technology training for Emergency Medical Services (ems) Program students.
“Emergency Medical Service is the gateway to and an integral part of the healthcare system,” said USDA Rural Development State Director Quinton Robinson.” This funding will help Emergency Medical Services professionals upgrade their skills by incorporating health information technology in the pre-hospital environment.”
Mark Ivester, acting president of NGTC, announced that the grant will fund the purchase of an ambulance and related technology for the emergency medical students to access.
“We are thankful to receive these funds that will ultimately help save lives as well as promote private job creation in our area,” said Ivester. “Our students and community will all benefit from this grant, and we are very appreciative of our relationship and partnership with the USDA to provide such a needed resource and training for our area.”
In addition to the purchase of an ambulance, the funds will help students in five Emergency Medical Services programs of study including Advanced Emergency Medical Technician and Paramedicine. Graduates will learn highly desirable and hirable industry requested skills such as the ability to safely drive an ambulance in emergency conditions; safely load and unload patients without risk to the patient or the EMS personnel; and to effectively operate ambulance-based, life-saving technology.
Several medical transport businesses in NGTC’s eight-county service area provided letters of support for the grant and said they would consider program graduates for new positions. NGTC is the sole public training option for emergency medical services in the eight-county service area.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/12/353899/north-ga-tech-to-use-98k-grant-to-train-ems-students