EMS-Based Urgent Care in the Ramah (N.M.) Navajo Reservation

The Pine Hill urgent care model is a bold move away from more traditional MIH-CP programs. Photos courtesy Chelsea C. White   In the United States, there are currently 567 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, representing almost 2.2 million citizens.1 Many of these are concentrated in the Southwest, with 23 diverse tribes and pueblos across the state of New Mexico.2 More than 10% of the population (220,000 individuals) of New Mexico identifies as a member of one of these 23 cultures.2 New Mexico is ranked 47th nationwide for population density, with an average of 17.2 people per square mile, making the entire state largely rural.3 Of the state’s 33 counties, 14 have fewer than 6.5 people per square mile, making them not just rural, but also designated frontier counties.3 The frontier nature of New Mexico poses significant challenges for EMS response, with vast distances between agencies, few EMS-trained first responders in the volunteer fire departments, unimproved roads, and limited cellphone or GPS mapping capabilities. In addition, there’s one Level 1 trauma center in the entire state. With these constraints, strong prehospital healthcare becomes not just a challenge, but also a necessity.
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Administration and Leadership Mobile Integrated Healthcare Source Type: news