Governor Kay Ivey recently awarded a grant in the amount of $60,000 to continue support of an electronic system designed to ensure that Alabamians needing emergency medical assistance are receiving timely and quality care.
The Alabama Department of Public Health is using those grant funds to support Alabama’s electronic Patient Care Reporting system. The system, which ties into a national system, is primarily used for tracking emergency medical services responses to all emergency calls involving patients who need pre-hospital care, such as those suffering from heart attacks, strokes or trauma from car crashes. This is done to ensure that a national standard of care is being met in emergency situations.
“Quick and quality assistance by emergency medical personnel can mean the difference between life and death in medical emergencies, and our first responders work tirelessly to provide that quality of service,” Ivey said. “With support from this grant, the Alabama Patient Care Reporting system will ensure Alabama continues to meet the standards for proper emergency care.”
The Alabama system is compliant with the National Emergency Medical Services Information System, developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It has been used in Alabama since 2007. All EMS agencies are mandated to comply with reporting requirements.
The Alabama Department of Economic & Community Affairs will be administering the grant from funds made available to the state by NHTSA.