The Southwest Virginia Emergency Medical Services Council, a regional, non-profit organization, is responsible for coordination of all aspects of EMS in the 3 cities and 13 counties it serves. In 1979, a group of volunteers formed the EMS Council, and began assessing the area's emergency medical capabilities, current services and needs.   

The EMS Council's goals include immediate telephone access by citizens; prompt, efficient medical care at the scene of an accident, illness or injury, en route to the hospital, and in the hospital, until the patient recovers and returns home.   

Over 122 agencies which includes rescue squads, fire departments, ambulance services, 19 hospitals, 16 local governments, related agencies and the 495,000 residents, and 2,800 EMS providers in the region are served by the Council.   

Continuing education programs for physicians and nurses, training for emergency dispatchers, coordination of Basic and Advanced Life Support programs, Ancillary courses such as, ACLS, PALS, NALS and BTLS, Basic Emergency Care programs, State Consolidated Testing Site Coordination, ALS Practical Site Coordination, and Rescue Squad Assistance Fund Coordination are among the programs in which the EMS Council coordinates.   

An EMS communication system linking hospitals and ambulances has been established with much of the equipment purchased through Rescue Squad Assistance Fund grants. The EMS Council is actively involved in development of reliable ground and air transportation, and well-equipped, adequately staffed hospital emergency departments and critical care units. Programs of public information are available through Southwest Virginia EMS Council.   

The Southwest Virginia EMS Council exists to help those who provide emergency medical care do the best job possible, and to help those receiving the care understand who is delivering the are, what kind of care should be expected, and what each individual must do to ensure that care is the best possible.   

That's what Southwest Virginia deserves. That's what we're working for.

Accidental injury is the leading cause of death for those under the age of 38, and heart disease is the leading cause for those over 39. In Southwest Virginia, 51 percent of total deaths are cardiovascular related. Motor vehicle-related injuries are the leading cause of death for children ages one through 14.

Immediate, proper, and continuous care saves lives and lessens the severity of disability for those victims of accidents and severity of disability for those victims of accidents and sudden illness. And effective Emergency Medical Services System is what makes this care happen.   

The concept of an Emergency Medical Care System, born in the early 1970's, is to link rescue squads, hospitals, dispatch centers and others together in each community to work toward programs of regional importance; and to work within the statewide system, through utilizing valuable resources.