CEAT Community Paramedicine program's first graduates receive certifications

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Media Contact: Tanner Holubar | Communications Specialist | 405-744-2065 | tanner.holubar@okstate.edu

The College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology at Oklahoma State University collaborated with the OSU Center for Health Sciences on a Community Paramedicine pilot program in Delaware County that completed a successful first year recently.  

CEAT has a longstanding tradition of providing training to first responders across the nation and around the world. Building on this tradition, CEAT kickstarted a program aimed at helping bridge health care gaps in rural Oklahoma.    

The Community Paramedicine curriculum is nearly 200 hours, consisting of instruction and clinical experience. The first 15 paramedics, mostly from Delaware County, became certified through this program in early April and resulted in these paramedics having another certification to help their local communities.    

These paramedics will be available to make house calls to people in rural communities for non-emergency medical care. This can alleviate people having to drive long distances and be readmitted to a hospital by having someone come to their home and provide a checkup.   

The completion of the program earned all participants a certificate of completion from OSU’s Fire Service Training. Since 1931, OSU FST has provided outreach, training and educational services to Oklahoma’s first responders.   

After completion of the Community Paramedicine program, paramedics can then obtain their national certification through the International Board of Specialty Certification.  

The first year was so successful that the Masonic Foundation has agreed to consider further funding to continue the program in another county next year.  The program’s successful first year reflects the commitment and collaboration between agencies in the state to mitigate medical shortfalls. 

“It’s a great program, especially with the grant funding from the Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma,” said JW Snell, a veteran paramedic and EMS manager with OSU’s Fire Service Training. “They have been able to roll this out to some paramedics across the state to get them some additional information and certification for their toolbox to help their communities and make them better.”   

Similar programs have been rolled out in other states that have been well received. Snell said this is one of the first programs of its type in Oklahoma, and an important aspect is to raise awareness of possibilities when it comes to health care in rural areas.    

“In Oklahoma, a course like this has never really been put together where paramedics can come take a course to become a community paramedic,” Snell said. “Part of the curriculum is getting the students and their services to understand what options they have when it comes to community care, medicine and mobile-integrated health care. There’s a lot of things those communities can do based on their local demographics and health disparities.”   

A first responder would have their shift consist of responding to these types of calls. This would allow the department to have enough personnel to respond to any other emergencies while also focusing on having an available community paramedic.    

This would be in a similar capacity as a responder making rounds and checking in on patients at their homes. The local agencies would have the final say on how this would be implemented in their community based on the needs and funding of the area.    

Snell said the Tulsa and Quapaw Nation fire departments have been great to work with and have provided clinical space for students to observe community paramedics in action. Strong collaboration between state agencies, CEAT and other colleges at OSU contributed to the program’s successful first year.    

Part of the program research is looking at the cost, such as how much insurance companies can save by a person not needing to be admitted to a hospital. Having in-home checks allows a patient’s health care to be more closely monitored, leading to better overall care.    

“One of the big things in EMS as a whole is funding, which has really taken a lot of hits over the last few years, especially with Medicare and Medicaid funding cuts,” Snell said. “A lot of services are struggling and trying to pay the bills and keep the trucks on the road. Having a smaller service and being able to send somebody to a class like this is sometimes not a possibility. But it is possible to see more grant funding to be able to host these classes and we will see a lot more students.”   

Dr. Ed Kirtley, associate dean of Engineering Extension for CEAT and former fire chief, said this type of program is highly impactful in rural communities due to a lack of transportation for seniors and those with chronic diseases.    

By having minor medical issues dealt with by in-home visits by paramedics, ongoing health care can be provided at a reduced cost. This is even more impactful when considering many rural towns in Oklahoma don’t have a primary doctor.   

“The presence of in-home treatment for someone is much more effective than bringing them into a clinic session,” Kirtley said. “They are more relaxed, you can see the environment in which they live, which as a provider is a big thing. From my days on the fire department, we could tell a lot just walking into a home about the person’s health and how well they are taken care of.”   

Snell is from Jay in Delaware County, and Kirtley said Snell’s commitment to his hometown resulted in a program that will improve health care in that area. By having local first responders able to visit people in their communities, it builds trust and results in the patient being more relaxed.   

“What JW brought was trust and credibility within the community,” Kirtley said. “That’s what made it work. He has such a passion for the people of Oklahoma as well as Delaware County. It’s his home, and he has a passion for those people.”   

The program’s first foray into Delaware County showed how successful it can be. With OSU in a strong position to offer guidance and knowledge on how to begin the program, it can be translated to another county.    

“I’m ecstatic that this has really taken off and blossomed like it has,” Snell said. “It’s something every community in the state needs. With this being the first one and being able to offer these training programs, I see a very bright future with services being able to eventually offer mobile integrated health care."