The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) https://www.dhs.gov within the Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) established the Rural Emergency Medical Communications Demonstration Project (REMCDP), with a $2 million competitive grant program. DHS selected the applications based on innovation, impact on rural communities, interoperability, communications, and stakeholder engagement.
The funding is to be used to expand the “First Hands Program” developed by the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). The plan is to improve the State of Mississippi’s public safety communication system consisting of 30,000 users by extending the program to support rural medical care.
The program combines medical and land mobile radio communications, education, and exercises to empower first providers. Participants receive training in communicating medically significant information, providing immediate aid, providing for hands-on-radio operation, and addresses life-saving medical applications and skills.
OEC and UMMC are collaborating on lessons learned, best practices, tools to share across the U.S, and how to replicate the “First Hands Program” in other rural communities. OEC will also incorporate REMCDP results into the 2019 National Emergency Communications Plan” and in future DHS grants.
Go to https://www.dhs.gov/remedp or contact OECGrants@hq.dhs.gov for more information.