MORGANTOWN, W.Va. A new project has been launched by the WVU School of Medicine in a partnership with the DTE Energy Foundation. This will allow physicians to now take to the road for the first Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Physicians Response Program.

The DTE Energy Foundation has awarded a $300,000 grant to the Department of Emergency Medicine Division of Prehospital Medicine at WVU to help establish this program. The program will allow certified physicians to respond to emergency calls and provide all the same services that the hospital has out in the field.

The development of EMS, in the past, its often focused on putting resources where there are larger communities. In doing so, they put the bulk of the resources within five minutes of a hospital, said Medical Director P.S. Martin. What were trying to do is reverse that. Were trying to take those resources actually out to the rural areas, where there may be fewer incidents, but where those resources can make the biggest difference.

Through this program, a physician-led team will work collaboratively with existing EMS resources to provide emergency medical treatment that was previously unavailable prior to arriving at hospitals. These treatments include diagnostic ultrasounds, medication/video-assisted intubations to secure patients airways, administration of blood products, procedural sedations, life-saving field amputations and more.

The vehicles will be able to provide all the same resources, and identical technology that the emergency helicopters have. This will allow easy transition if the there is a need for that. This program is already partially launched in Marion and Tucker counties. By this time next year, the goal is to have four certified physicians able to respond to calls and spread to more of the rural counties.

P.S. Martin is the Medical Director of both counties, and grew up in Thomas around the EMS station. He says now that he can help bring emergency services to the furthest point of the region, and possibly save several more lives, means everything to him.

The ability to take what Ive learned in my specialty emergency medicine, and subspecialty of EMS, to take that back to the rural communities, means the world to me. The office of EMS has clearly said if things if things continue to work well with the program, things will move quickly, said P.S. Martin. As the fellowships start up, and we get more physicians trained, I hope this spreads throughout the state of West Virginia.

In addition to enhancing patient care and research, the program will also provide important learning opportunities for health sciences students, emergency medicine residents and physicians participating in an intensive one year EMS fellowship tentatively slated to welcome its first class in 2021.

The fellowship will accept two per year, and will prepare physicians who have completed their emergency medicine residency for EMS subspecialty certification. For the full story, visit West Virginia Universitys website.

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New project launched by the WVU School of Medicine in a partnership with the DTE Energy Foundation - WBOY.com