Spotlight on Colorado EMS
November 2008
Briefly describe the structure, staffing, and funding of your state EMS program.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Section establishes and enforces standards for the development and operation of the state emergency medical and trauma care system. The Department has regulatory responsibility for the certification and practice of emergency medical technicians and shares responsibility for oversight of EMS medical directors with the Colorado Board of Medical Examiners. The Section has responsibility for approving EMS training programs, licensing air ambulances, designating trauma centers, funding and providing technical assistance to Regional Emergency Medical and Trauma Advisory Councils, funding $1.6 million/year in local EMS grants, development of a statewide prehospital data collection system and maintenance of the statewide Trauma Registry. The Section receives recommendations and advice from the State Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Advisory Council, a governor-appointed advisory council representing many EMS and trauma constituencies.
Funding comes from several sources; however, the majority of the Section’s budget is generated from a $1.00 fee added to each motor vehicle registration. Additional funds are received from trauma designation fees, air ambulance licensing fees, and the EMS for Children grant from the federal Maternal and Child Health program.
The Section consists of fifteen staff, led by Section Chief D. Randy Kuykendall. The trauma, grants, EMS for Children, data and air ambulance programs all report to the Section Chief while the Operations Unit, which oversees certification, investigations and training, reports to Deputy Section Chief Michelle Reese. Additionally, the Section contracts for a telecommunications specialist and a physician state medical director.
What is the biggest challenge facing your state EMS program, and what possible solutions exist?
The biggest challenge currently facing the Colorado emergency medical and trauma services system is the development of a comprehensive system of medical direction for EMS agencies throughout the state. Although many dedicated physicians serve as medical directors at the local level, a process whereby the collective advice of these physicians can be heard at the state level for the purpose of public policy development is necessary to ensure standardized quality patient care throughout the state. Additionally, Colorado’s emergency medical and trauma services system faces significant issues in recruitment and retention of qualified health care providers in rural and frontier communities. Efforts to develop, fund and implement effective programs that will enhance the ability of our many rural communities to provide transportation and treatment services continue to be a significant challenge throughout the state.
What is the most noteworthy accomplishment of your state EMS program to date or recently?
The most noteworthy accomplishment of Colorado’s Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Section is difficult to identify since several successful improvements have been implemented over the past four years. Colorado’s voluntary trauma designation process has resulted in 69 hospitals maintaining their respective designation status; EMT certification processes have been improved; and new rules and regulations have been implemented. The state’s prehospital data collection system, MATRIX, has been implemented with EMS agencies continuing to join the effort to collect data, and improved methods of routine communication between the state office and stakeholders have been successfully implemented.
If you could ask your fellow state EMS officials one question, what would it be?
I would ask my fellow state EMS officials to share their methods of improving efforts to recruit and retain health care providers in their systems. This is one of the most significant issues facing EMS and trauma today; thus it is critical that we work to find mechanisms to improve the quantity and quality of the emergency medical and trauma services workforce.
Randy Kuykendall
EMS Section Chief, Health Facilities & EMS Division
Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, CDPHE, A2
Denver, CO 80246
randy.kuykendall@state.co.us
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