Emergency healthcare providers upgrade their training

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. (May 22, 2009) – Healthcare providers from hospitals in nine Missouri communities gathered in Brookfield, Mo., to sharpen their emergency care knowledge and skills through participation in Comprehensive Advanced Life Support (CALS) training on May 21 and 22. The CALS course was first developed in Minnesota to train physicians, physician assistants, nurses, and other health professionals who provide emergency care in rural hospitals.

The 24 Brookfield CALS participants are affiliated with numerous Missouri hospitals and clinics including St. Louis University Hospital, Scotland County Hospital, and Cedar County Memorial Hospital, and traveled from as far as Branson, Mo., for training.

Working in interdisciplinary teams, CALS course participants worked through interactive classroom and skills lab sessions focused on team-based response to health crises in all age groups from birth to geriatrics. Additional training is available through a day-long benchmark skills lab for those who have completed the initial classroom training.

“The primary focus of CALS is to train medical personnel who work in rural hospitals in a team approach to anticipate, recognize, and manage life-threatening emergencies that they will be called upon to treat,” said Michael French, program coordinator. “The course offers a way for rural hospitals to ensure that they are providing the best possible emergency care to their communities.”

CALS training in Missouri is offered through collaboration between the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, which is providing partial funding for the program, and the Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Office at the A.T. Still University (ATSU) in Kirksville, Mo., which is coordinating implementation of the program.

The Northeast Missouri AHEC in Macon, Mo., provided local support and coordination for the Brookfield course, which was hosted at the Park Baptist Church.

For more information contact Sue Foley, AHEC administrative coordinator, ATSU, at 660.626.2887 or sdfoley@atsu.edu.