UBER FOR EMS
Iowa United provides critical aid to seniors in Van Buren County
STORY AND PHOTOS BY DONALD A . PROMNITZ Associate Editor
At any moment , Kirt Horn could be called to save someone ’ s life .
That ’ s because Horn , who lives in rural Van Buren County , is part of Iowa United First Aid , a program aimed at reducing response times for medical emergencies in rural areas . He said the calls he gets tend to be rare and is thankful he hasn ’ t had anything too severe yet , but he ’ s ready if the need should arise .
“ We don ’ t get that many because we ’ re very rural , so you may go a couple of weeks without getting anything , so it ’ s very sporadic . I have been to a few calls where we can do some good before the ambulance gets there ,” Horn said . “ Thankfully , we haven ’ t had to do CPR , or any cardiac-type patients , but we ’ ve got the equipment there if we need to .”
Iowa United was proposed by Lt . Gov . Adam Gregg following a trip to Israel . While there , he was introduced to the United Hatzalah program , which is commonly referred to as “ Uber for EMS .” The system creates a network of volunteers with basic lifesaving medical training . When a call is made for medical assistance , dispatchers find the closest responders to provide aid . This saves time when every minute counts .
According to William Cline , ambulance director for Van Buren County Hospital in Keosauqua , Iowa United has been a way to fill gaps in coverage — gaps which are common in rural areas .
“ We have two ambulance services in the county — here and at Farmington — and then we do have three existing first responder systems which do a great job , but there are areas of the county that aren ’ t covered well ,” Cline said . “ And there ’ s also areas that , during the daytime , they have to work out of county .”
Kirt Horn beside an ambulance in Ottumwa . Horn is a volunteer with Iowa United First Aid , a program that sends volunteers to help with emergency medical calls before the ambulance arrives . Van Buren County began operating Iowa United late last year .
12 SENIOR RESOURCE GUIDE 2024