Notice of Grant Award

Missouri EMS Association Receives Contract Award from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to Assist Schools in Cardiac Emergency Response Plan Preparedness

Jefferson City, MO, May 7, 2025 – The Missouri EMS Association announced today the association is the recipient of a one-year contract in the amount of $2 million from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to collaborate with Emergency Medical Services professionals for activities and equipment that further promote Cardiac Emergency Response Plan preparedness for high-need schools.

Each year, more than 356,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of a hospital in the U.S., 90% of which are fatal. This is because only about 40% of individuals in cardiac arrest receive immediate help needed before emergency responders arrive.

A Cardiac Emergency Response Plan is a written document that establishes specific steps to reduce death from cardiac arrest in school settings. It can be stand-alone guidelines or merged with a school’s existing medical emergency response plans. It is to be posted at key locations throughout the school and practiced regularly. The safety of students, school staff, and visitors can be enhanced when school CERP teams are trained and empowered to administer lifesaving care until emergency medical services arrive.

Under this newly funded initiative, the Missouri EMS Association will collaborate with the American Heart Association, Project ADAM sites (Children’s Mery in Kansas City and St. Louis Children’s Hospital in St. Louis), University of Missouri’s Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES), Title 1 schools, and local EMS agencies, among others, to assess school interest and readiness to implement a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan. The funding will support arranging for and providing CPR education and training/drills for school personnel annually or biannually, as appropriate. It will also fund the provision of technical assistance for planning, development and implementation of a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan, including assisting schools in obtaining necessary AED equipment/supplies. EMS agencies will be engaged to support schools with maintenance of their AED equipment and supplies. Project partners will also implement a process for formally recognizing schools that implement an approved Cardiac Emergency Response Plan.

Justin Duncan, president of the Missouri EMS Association, stated “The project will result in better coordination of services across Missouri’s communities through the association’s
collaboration with the American Heart Association and Project ADAM. The impact of early intervention for cardiac arrest is significant. It can be a matter of life and death. It can also have a profound impact on potential health outcomes and quality of life for cardiac event survivors.” He further stated, “The potential cost savings to the overall health system that will result from better patient outcomes is also significant.”

Shelby Cox, the Executive Director for MEMSA, will be the lead for this project. Cox stated, “as the lead for the AED Project, I am excited to collaborate with our partners and EMS agencies throughout the state. In cases of cardiac arrest, every second counts, as immediate CPR can greatly enhance the chances of survival. A rapid response with CPR and/or an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) can double or even triple survival rates. By fostering collaboration and coordinating practiced responses between the school CERP teams and the responding EMS agencies, we can ensure that these stressful situations are managed more smoothly, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes.”

The Missouri EMS Association is Missouri’s statewide nonprofit organization supporting the EMS industry, individual EMS professionals, and agencies. The association exists to create collective power behind each voice, the individual EMS professional, and to represent that voice on all levels – regional, state, and national. The Missouri EMS Association’s mission is to promote the quality of paramedicine in Missouri, under the core values of collaboration, responsibility, accountability, professionalism, respect, openness and transparency. Association leaders are enthusiastic about the association’s support of EMS in Missouri.