CREEDE— During the end of the month meeting of the Mineral County Commissioners on July 18, local EMT director Don Dustin spoke up during the public comment period to ask for a letter of support from the board. Dustin explained that he had recently finished an application for a grant that would help with costs associated with training for local EMTs. Commissioners listened as Dustin explained the basis for the grant and answered any questions they had pertaining to what it could do for the local EMT program.
According to the website for the CREATE grant it states, “The Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC) is Colorado’s nonprofit State Office of Rural Health. CRHC works with federal, state and local partners to offer services and resources to rural healthcare providers, facilities and communities. We have a diverse and inclusive statewide constituency of over 3,500 people and organizations.
Established in 1991 by members of the Colorado Rural Health Consortium, Colorado Rural Health Center (CRHC) was created with start-up support from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy and several other public and private organizations around the state. CRHC was developed as a nonprofit organization and is one of only three nonprofit offices of rural health in the country.
 Our mission is to enhance healthcare services in the state by providing information, education, linkages, tools and energy toward addressing rural health issues. Our vision is to improve healthcare services available in rural communities to ensure that all rural Coloradans have access to comprehensive, affordable, high quality healthcare.”
Dustin continued to explain that he wants to be able to apply for the grant several times a year to make sure that his team of EMTs remain up to date on the new technology and training needed to serve the community of Creede to the best of their ability. Commissioners agreed that the program was a great fit for Mineral County emergency services and agreed to sign the letter of support for the grant.
The grant would help pay for local EMTs to attend a Colorado Department of Health training seminar in Keystone later this summer. Dustin estimated that he would know how many EMTs he could send by the meeting scheduled for Aug. 2.
It is required to have a certain amount of training hours throughout the year for EMTs to be eligible in Mineral County as well as throughout the state. By receiving the grant, local officials will be able to ensure the continued training of local health officials.
Dustin thanked the board for their support and asked that they keep the letter of support handy, so that it could be reused throughout the year. Commissioners voted to sign the letter of support and thanked Dustin for his efforts.