By Bill Carey
EMS1
WASHINGTON — The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced the open application period for the 2024 Rural Emergency Medical Services Training Grants.
The 2024 opportunity is for two years to recruit and train EMS personnel in rural areas with a particular focus on addressing substance use disorders (SUD) and co-occurring disorders (COD) substance use and mental disorders.
SAMHSA recognizes the important need for emergency services in rural areas, the critical role EMS personnel serve across the country and the need to develop the capacity of EMS staff to support residents in rural communities. Recipients will be expected to train EMS personnel on SUD and COD, trauma-informed, recovery-based care for people with such disorders in emergencies and, as appropriate, to maintain licenses and certifications relevant to serving in an EMS agency.
Eligible applicants are rural EMS agencies operated by a local or tribal government (fire-based and non-fire-based) and rural non-profit EMS agencies.
SAMHSA anticipates awarding 52 grants for up to $200,000 each per year. The application deadline is March 20, 2024.