Ozarks Technical Community College received a $53,500 Skaggs Legacy Endowment grant at a presentation held today, Oct. 31 at the OTC Table Rock Campus. The grant, presented by Skaggs Foundation, supports the purchase of an ambulance simulator for the college’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program at the OTC Table Rock Campus.
Skaggs Legacy Endowment is a restricted endowment fund made possible by a generous gift from CoxHealth in 2013. Since that time, Skaggs Foundation has awarded more than $4.3 million to organizations dedicated to improving lives and communities.
“This year, we are honored to award 22 grants to local organizations making a difference,” said Meghan Connell, Skaggs Foundation president. “Through these grants, we’ll impact the lives of more than 42,500 people in our community.”
About OTC’s EMS Program
The OTC Table Rock Campus will offer EMT courses in January 2019 and paramedic courses the following fall. The EMS Program will utilize the most up-to-date curriculum, taught through simulation, to make training available to students and community partners in Stone and Taney counties. The new program has the capacity to serve 30 students in its first year. It will provide simulation training to an estimated 125 medical professionals annually.
Joshua Freeman, OTC’s EMS director, says both EMT and paramedic jobs are expected to grow in the next decade.
“The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 15 percent job growth for EMTs and paramedics by 2026,” said Freeman. “Thanks to the support of Skaggs Foundation, we can make our training programs more accessible in an effort to meet the region’s growing workforce needs.”
The Emergency Medical Technician course is a 7-credit-hour course, which a student can complete in one semester. After a student earns the EMT certificate, he or she can go on to earn an associate degree to become a paramedic.
EMTs are typically experts in advanced first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Paramedics are trained to provide more advanced care, such as, administering intravenous fluids, airway management and resuscitation of patients suffering major medical issues.
For more information about OTC’s EMS Program at the Table Rock campus, contact Joshua Freeman, EMS program director at (417) 447-8951 or email freemajo@otc.edu.
About Skaggs Foundation
Skaggs Foundation was established in 2002 as a primary funding source for Skaggs Regional Medical Center. In 2013 when Skaggs hospital merged with CoxHealth, Skaggs Foundation Board of Directors chose to retain the Skaggs name, carrying on the legacy of philanthropy that started the area’s first hospital in 1950. Today, through the generosity of the community, Skaggs Foundation continues to invest in the health and wellness of the people of Stone and Taney counties. Skaggs Foundation funds patient programs, supports the Branson hospital in capital improvement projects, provides student scholarships, and impacts thousands of lives annually through its community grant making program Skaggs Legacy Endowment.
