EMS Grants & Projects

2025 MDHHS Emergency Medical Services Workforce Grant

Award: Application Period is Closed | Performance period: October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2025

Focus: Establish, implement, and operate a workforce development program to be used for training people in emergency medical services to address the critical shortage of paramedics statewide and to increase accessibility to EMS education programming, specifically paramedic programs, in Michigan.

The EMS workforce paramedic scholarship application offers 2 tracks.

Track 1: This scholarship track will provide up to $20,000 in student tuition and fees to attend the approved initial paramedic education program of choice (EMS agencies and colleges qualify).

Track 2: This scholarship track offers reimbursement for the time spent in EMS training programs, at a rate of $15/hour, to a maximum of $16,000 per student (EMS agencies qualify).

Everyone interested in attending a Michigan approved initial paramedic education program is encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to the following categories:

• EMS professionals serving rural Michigan census track communities
• Single parents with a desire to serve as a paramedic
• Women with a desire to serve as a paramedic
• Racial and ethnic minorities with a desire to serve as a paramedic
• Veterans with a desire to serve as a paramedic

Application Period is Closed

The institution receiving the scholarship funds must apply for the scholarship amount on behalf of the student. Funding will only be distributed to initial education paramedic programs and licensed Michigan EMS agencies.

The applicant institution must agree to the following grant scholarship terms:

• The application is to be submitted by the institution receiving the grant funds, on behalf of the applicant scholar.
• The applicant must represent an initial paramedic education program or a licensed Michigan EMS agency.
• The applicant understands to qualify for paramedic student hourly reimbursement they must be an EMS agency employer.
• The applicant understands the recipient(s) of this scholarship must agree to practice paramedicine in Michigan for at least two years following scholarship award. By signing the application agreement, the filing institution attests to this.
• The applicant understands that the student receiving the scholarship funds must adhere to the terms set forth by the applicant institution.
• The applicant institution understands the scholarship recipient is expected to remain in good standing for the course of the initial education program. The institution providing the scholarship funds must create and provide a written signed agreement with the student outlining the expectation of scholarship fund repayment to the filing institution should the student not complete the program.
• The applicant institution understands to receive grant funds proof of the scholarship recipient paramedic initial education program enrollment is required on or before August 31, 2025.
• The applicant institution agrees to report to MCRH on the required grant reporting outcomes.

Please reach out to MCRH Workforce Initiatives Manager, Kyra Burkeen at Kyra.burkeen@affiliate.msu.edu with any questions.

UP Workforce Innovation Network

Award: 1.5 million | Performance Period: August 1, 2022- July 31, 2026

The overarching goal of the U.P. WIN project is to increase the Community Health Worker (CHW) and Community Paramedicine (CP) workforce capacity by expanding and extending the reach of health professional workforce education, training, employment, and retention activities within the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan region. Through the work of the U.P. WIN, the CHW and CP workforce in the U.P will expand by offering job development, training, and placement opportunities. The U.P. WIN project will focus on track one (Community Health Support) and track three (Community Paramedicine) to address the need for CHWs and CPs throughout the U.P. region.

The CP track program has three goals:

• Goal #1: Establishing a CP and Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) education program in the U.P. through the Marquette School of EMT and UP Health System. The Marquette School of EMT has the capability to service the U.P. through hybrid education models, satellite education, and clinical sites established for students throughout the region.
• Goal #2: Create an education pipeline for EMT and Paramedicine programs that intertwine portions of the CP curriculum, thus allowing students to gain exposure to CP and accomplish portions of the MIH certifications in the State of Michigan. The students can then obtain Michigan MIH and CP program employment once they graduate. This innovative education curriculum creates workforce certification diversity allowing EMT and Paramedic graduates greater workforce opportunities and a smaller education gap when choosing to enter MIH or CP certification education programs.
• Goal #3: Develop a Community Paramedicine model that contributes to value-based care in the U.P. through MIH models that provide in-home care for patients with chronic health conditions, decrease hospital readmissions, and address at risk populations.

The UPWIN grant network consists of 9 grant partners:

• Northern Michigan University Center for Rural Health
• UP Michigan Works
• UP Area Health Education Center
• Upper Great Lakes Family Health Center
• Upper Peninsula Healthcare Solutions
• Everyday Life Consulting
• UP Health System-Marquette School of EMT
• The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Trauma, EMS & Systems of Care

Year 1 Outcomes: 

• 17 Paramedics trained
• 4 Community Paramedics trained

Past EMS Programs 

Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program-Emergency Medical Services Competing Supplement

Award: 300,000 | Performance Period: September 1, 2022-August 31, 2024

The Michigan Center for Rural Health in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of EMS, Trauma, & Systems of Care will strengthen Michigan’s rural EMS agency quality improvement and data reporting programming and culture by bringing together 15 rural EMS agencies under the Michigan Rural EMS Quality Improvement Alliance. The purpose of the project is to increase reporting compliance, improve the accuracy of data reported, increase the timeliness of data reported, and develop a culture of quality reporting in 12 participating rural EMS agencies.

MCRH and MDHHS BETSC have analyzed the current state of EMS quality data reporting and have identified the need to 1.) improve electronic patient care submission timeliness and 2.) improve submission validation incident rates when uploading data to the Michigan EMS Information System (MI-EMSIS). This project will focus on the eleven approved National EMS Quality Alliance (NEMSQA) core EMS performance measures. When analyzing this data set in MI-EMSIS, it is clear Michigan’s rural EMS agencies have ample opportunity for improvement on data reporting. This project will close the identified data reporting gaps.

The 10 Participating EMS Agencies:

• East Bay Ambulance Service
• Akron Columbia Wisner Township Ambulance
• Denton Township EMS
• Emmet County EMS
• Jordan Valley EMS
• Frederic Township Fire Department
• Forsyth Township EMS
• Cedar Area Fire and Rescue Department
• Norman Township Fire Department
• Township Ambulance Authority

Grant Related Education and Resources:

MI-TRAIN CE Webinar Learning Session I

MITRAIN ID: 1108488

MI-TRAIN CE Webinar Session II

MITRAIN ID: 1108745

MI-TRAIN CE Webinar Session III 

MITRAIN ID: 1110408

MI-TRAIN CE Webinar Session IV 

MITRAIN ID: 1110409

NEMSQA Measures

MI-NEMSIS