Mobridge Regional Hospital worked with area communities to secure funding for emergency medical services (EMS) education and equipment through the Regional Service Designation (RSD) awards. An overview of the resource sharing program was presented by Haden Merkel, philanthropy engagement coordinator, during the EMS Extra event on November 5, 2025, at 12:00 PM Central.
Webinar Recording: https://www.youtube.com/embed/bZ4MGpgv_GI
Ongoing collaboration is providing opportunities to identify solutions for EMS challenges and barriers.
“This project is giving some of the most generous, service-minded people in my community the tools they need to make a difference and to do so without sacrificing their own health,” shared Merkel. “It’s celebrating, supporting, and educating others about EMS careers in the hope that future generations will be able to benefit from strong community-based and service-minded EMS systems too.”
Merkel’s presentation covered the following objectives:
- Describe the role of Mobridge Hospital as an EMS collaborator
- Explain how collaboration contributed to EMS RSD awards in multiple area communities
- Highlight best practices and lessons learned for continuing to advance improvement
Local and regional experts featured in the EMS Extras webinar series share programs and resources to strengthen and sustain the EMS infrastructure. Each webinar will contribute to the process of prioritizing and implementing improvement goals, strategies, and activities to meet coalition and community EMS needs. Webinar details and recordings are available on the SDFMC EMS Extras website.
“When I started working on this project, the importance I put in strengthening and sustaining EMS was mostly self-interested. If a loved one or I had a medical emergency, local EMS professionals would be the heroes to respond,” added Merkel. “The more I’ve dug in, though, the more I see strengthening and sustaining EMS as something much larger than my little circle.”
EMS RSD awardees contribute to developing and implementing long-term sustainable solutions for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in South Dakota. The SDFMC Strengthening and Sustaining the EMS Infrastructure project provides a foundation to support EMS improvement and impact by guiding communities and stakeholders through the phases of assessment, planning, and implementation.
SDFMC’s mission is to collaborate with partners to improve health outcomes. Reach out to get more information on SDFMC projects and services.
Stacie Fredenburg, BA, PMP
Director of Operations
Stacie.Fredenburg@sdfmc.org
Stephanie Hanson, BSN, RN
Program Manager
Stephanie.Hanson@sdfmc.org
