A pilot program run through Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is giving rural emergency medical services a way to talk with hospital physicians in real time. The program, called Next Generation 9-1-1, aims to start patient care before people reach an emergency room.
Local emergency crews and wind farm technicians recently ran a training drill based on a worker injured on a wind turbine far from a hospital. Responders treated the patient while connected by video to physicians at W.J. Mangold Memorial Hospital in Lockney.
The equipment is packed in a portable case with secure video links, EKG monitors and ultrasound tools, supported by a high-priority wireless hotspot. Carson Scott, with TTUHSC Rural and Community Health, said the direct connection is one of the program's biggest advantages. Scott said participating agencies receive hands-on training before using the equipment.
Katrina Gooch, director of Floydada EMS, said the technology is an important step for rural emergency care. "So far out from a major hospital, just having that ability to reach out to a physician and have them on camera to see what we're seeing ... can kind of speed up the process," Gooch said.