South Dakota Gets $7.2M to Modernize Rural EMS

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – South Dakota will receive $7.2 million in federal funding to help modernize emergency medical services across the state, according to an announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The funding, provided through the Rural Health Transformation Program, will support 25 projects led by ambulance services, hospitals, community organizations and education partners. The projects are aimed at improving emergency response, expanding ambulance-based telemedicine, enhancing EMS training and upgrading communications and patient data-sharing systems.

Federal officials say the investment is intended to help first responders reach patients faster and improve connections between rural ambulance crews and health care providers.

Gov. Larry Rhoden said the funding will strengthen the workforce, technology and partnerships that support emergency response across South Dakota.

The announcement comes as part of a larger federal effort to improve rural health care services. Sen. Mike Rounds said South Dakota has already received $13 million through the program and is expected to receive more than $189 million over the next five years.

In addition to EMS improvements, the broader Rural Health Transformation Program supports workforce recruitment and retention, expanded access to care, innovative health care delivery models, community-based services and upgraded health care technology.

Federal officials say the goal is to improve access to care and strengthen health systems in rural communities across South Dakota.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.