Grant cuts may cost lives

[Janmarie3]

I've been doing research on the available grants for EMS. I have come across a lot grant money for just about everything except what I was searching for. Recovery cost grants. I'm still researching but I thought maybe someone else out here might know a little more about it then I do and could point me in the right direction.

I work with a private rural Ambulance service, we run two counties, almost 3 at times. The county we are stationed in provides grant money to us to service our own county and up until last year they also gave us a grant to cover costs of running the other county. This year they cut us $25,000. The neighboring county gives us nothing for the care and transport of their citizens. Mostly these two counties are tribal lands and we are currently trying to work with the tribe for grant monies but have hit a brick wall.

The neighboring county is only 6 miles from us and we do have an ambulance stationed there, it is 45 miles from the hospital. Majority of the people we service are uninsured or on Indian health. Trying to recover costs has been an uphill battle. Durring my search I looked up what types of money available in that county for ems through H & W. I found that hundreds of thousands of money goes toward food stamps, paychecks and WIC programs but only 6,000 was given to ems in its own county.

There has been talk about pulling our Ambulance out and closing the doors to that county. It's not something that we want to do because we know and care about those people, its just getting to the point where we can't afford to service it without their help. This town is 20 miles from its own county ambulance service which makes its even more difficult for these people to get the emergency care they need.

So if anyone has any experience in researching grant money for EMS please help me out. This has become a mission of mine and I have learned a great deal about how little important EMS is.

Thanks in advance

[Ridryder 911]

Have you contacted local tribal or community health representative (CHR) of the local tribes?.. As well, contact your local State EMS Division, ask about monies or even potential grant monies available. There is a book that is published (believe quarterly) that has new and open grant(s, ranging from studying insects to whatever.. all state services is aware of this book. When contacting your EMS division, ask to look through it or contact local library at Universities etc.. You will have to do some research and maybe even get some help on writing a proposal, but it can be done..

I wish you the best of luck,

R/r 911

[Janmarie3]

Thanks Ridryder,

We do have someone working or was working on the tribe for help, I am not sure if they had given up because I haven't heard anything yet. I'am thinking of having a pow wow with them myself. I want to see something done quickly. I will look for that book and do whatever research I have to. Thanks for the great information.

[ncjpj]

I realize by the timestamps of the other postings this may not be timely; though hopefully helpful to those who look this up in the future. I'm an EMT and policy research assistant with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (the 'Big Mama' of grant making health policy foundations). What I can tell you from our experience as grant makers and my own former experience as a grant writer that competing for operating funds for any endeavor is perilous at best. Most grant making agencies, with the noted exception of state and federal block grant programs, will look for innovation and research into new EMS approaches to equalize care, decrease mortality and implement new policies.

The one shining feature of the plight you find yourselves in is that the counties encompass what is generally termed an 'under served population'. The Native American population has access to a host of federal and non-profit programs that can and likely will provide at least some bridge funding to cover the shortfall you've been facing. In the long term, they may also begin providing a foundation of stability for EMS as a whole in your region. Grants and programs to look for in this area would be in the Indian Health Service, national scale foundations such as RWJF, Kellogg, many multi-national corporations, and state government. You can find these organized by area in your local state's grant listing book. It's published annually and is normally available at the local library, though you may need to travel to a capitol city to view the most recent edition. Best of luck to you all!