Adair County Ambulance Service has been awarded a $438,418 Rural Health Transformation Crisis to Care: EMS Training Equipment Grant to purchase advanced training equipment and develop a regional emergency medical training program.
The funding will be used to purchase high-tech patient simulators, often called training mannequins, and simulation equipment that allows EMTs, paramedics, nurses and other healthcare professionals to practice responding to life-threatening medical emergencies in realistic, hands-on scenarios before treating actual patients.
Director Chad Wheet said the grant is an investment in the future of emergency medical care across south-central Kentucky.
“This grant gives us the opportunity to build something that will benefit not only Adair County but our entire region,” Wheet said. “Our vision is to establish Adair County Ambulance Service as a regional EMS training site where first responders and healthcare providers can receive advanced, realistic simulation training close to home.”
Wheet said rural emergency agencies often have limited access to this type of advanced training and hopes the new program will make those opportunities more accessible.
He also credited ambulance service employees for helping secure the grant.
“This achievement would not have been possible without the hard work and commitment of some truly outstanding employees,” Wheet said. “Their willingness to invest countless hours in planning, developing ideas and supporting the grant application demonstrates their commitment to improving emergency medical care throughout our region.”
The new equipment will allow responders to train for a variety of emergencies, including heart attacks and cardiac arrest, traumatic injuries, pediatric emergencies, breathing problems, childbirth complications and mass casualty incidents. The simulations are designed to improve medical skills, communication, leadership and teamwork in situations that closely resemble real emergencies.
Wheet said the ambulance service plans to seek additional grant funding to expand the program into a mobile training unit that could bring simulation equipment directly to EMS agencies, fire departments, hospitals and other healthcare organizations throughout rural Kentucky.
“Our long-term goal is to develop a mobile simulation training program,” Wheet said. “By bringing this technology directly to EMS agencies, fire departments, hospitals and healthcare organizations across rural Kentucky, we can eliminate travel barriers and make high-quality training more accessible.”
The grant is expected to help establish Adair County as a regional training hub while strengthening emergency response partnerships and improving patient care throughout the region.
