GRPS Partners with Life EMS Ambulance and Spectrum Health to Offer Emergency Medical Technician Course

New course offering will expand elective opportunities for students attending the School of Health, Science and Technology

Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) today announced a partnership with Life EMS Ambulance and Spectrum Health designed to offer an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course to high school seniors beginning this fall.

Graduates of the two-semester course will be eligible to become fully state licensed EMTs, which is often a springboard to a high-demand paramedic career or other areas of healthcare. The cost of the 270-hour course, which includes student uniforms and textbooks, is being funded by a $30,000 grant from Spectrum Health.

“This is an exciting collaboration that will bolster our health science offerings and our school-to-work pathways of learning,” said Dr. Bernard Taylor, GRPS superintendent. “When the first students graduate from the program in 2012, up to 30 high school seniors will be fully certified EMTs, ready to begin a rewarding career in pre-hospital care. We hope those graduates choose to provide that expert care right here in our community.”

The course will be taught by an instructor from Life EMS Ambulance’s Education Centre, and GRPS staff. Students will receive instruction in the Health Career lab located within the School of Health, Science and Technology, a new Center of Innovation located on the Central High campus, and will have access to hands-on clinical training with Life EMS Ambulance and area hospitals.

“Any time we can help strengthen the talent base of our community, we heighten the quality of life and development of the region,” said Mark Meijer, president of Life EMS Ambulance. Meijer is a graduate of Creston High School and began exploring a medic career during his senior year of high school working for a local ambulance company. A few years later, Meijer founded Life EMS, which today, employs staff of more than 350 and serves an eight-county area of Michigan, including more than 3,500 square miles of West Michigan.

Part of strengthening the talent base is making diversity a focus, said Meijer. “Partnering with the GRPS allows us to ensure the paramedic career path is accessible to anyone who is interested,” he said.

The program is modeled after a similar partnership with Grandville High School, an innovative collaboration spanning more than 10 years.

“This is a win-win for students and the community,” said Shawn Ulreich, MSN, RN, chief nursing executive and vice president of patient care services for Spectrum Health Hospital Group. “We believe it’s a wonderful model of community collaboration. EMTs are a vital part of the health care system. We are proud to be part of this important initiative.”

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About Grand Rapids Public Schools
Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) is Michigan’s third largest public school district and the second largest employer in the City of Grand Rapids, serving more than 19,000 students with 3,500 employees, including 1,600 dedicated teachers. The School of Health, Science and Technology locates at Central High School campus is the region’s premier specialty high school focused on preparing students for college and career pathways in the wide-ranging health care industry. Located just a few blocks from “Medical Mile,” HST is partnered with some of the top health care institutions, medical providers, and colleges/universities in the area. For more information please visit http://www.grpublicschools.org/.

About Life EMS Ambulance:
Since 1980, Life EMS Ambulance has consistently reduced response time while providing compassionate emergency care. Life EMS Ambulance was the first ambulance service in West Michigan, and among the first in the U.S., to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services, the gold standard in the EMS industry. Life EMS Ambulance serves more than 3,500 square miles of West Michigan, including Grand Rapids/Kent, Portage/Kalamazoo, Ottawa, Ionia, Newaygo, Lake, Mason and Allegan counties. Additional information can be found at http://www.lifeems.com/.

About Spectrum Health
Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan offering a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, which is comprised of nine hospitals including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, a state of the art children’s hospital that opened in January 2011, and 180 service sites; the Spectrum Health Medical Group and West Michigan Heart, physician groups totaling more than 600 providers; and Priority Health, a health plan with 625,000 members. Spectrum Health is West Michigan’s largest employer with more than 17,800 employees. The organization provided $115.9 million in community benefit during its 2010 fiscal year. In 2011 and 2010, Spectrum Health was named a Top 10 Health System by Thomson Reuters.