OTTER TAIL COUNTY, Minn. – Otter Tail and Grant Counties will have an emergency medical services response model pilot program starting next year.
Otter Tail County says it will enhance the delivery of advanced life support services in rural and underserved areas and improve response times and patient and community outcomes.
The program will have up to three rapid response units giving advanced medical services at the scene until more help arrives. Program partners include ambulance and EMS services in Otter Tail County, Henning, Parkers Prairie, Perham, Ashby, Hoffman and Elbow Lake.
The Otter Tail County Commission approved a grant agreement with the Minnesota Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board in November.
The program is authorized to operate through June 2027.
“I’m glad to see this (pilot program) address the challenges of rural healthcare,” Otter Tail County Commissioner Robert Lahman said. “I am thankful for the collaboration that will bring positive results to our residents and communities.”
“This pilot program is an important step toward strengthening EMS in rural Minnesota,” Republican State Senator Jordan Rasmusson of Fergus Falls said. “By bringing rapid response units to underserved areas in Otter Tail and Grant counties, we are working to ensure that residents have access to life-saving care when it’s needed most.”
