Weekly CREATE Bulletin

What are they thinking?

The CREATE Expert Review Committee (ERC) reviews all submitted applications. Do you ever wonder what they are thinking? When you are writing your application, do you ever wish you had psychic abilities so you knew what the ERC members would think of your grant or so you knew the winning lotto numbers? Well, we may not be able to give you psychic abilities, but we can provide some guidance on how the ERC scores and ultimately decides on your application.
Your application is scored based on the following criteria and how well you articulate each part of your narrative:

• Service Need – a strong grant will show convincing evidence of need for educational courses to upgrade or maintain current level of services.
• Priority to Underdeveloped or Aged Systems– you must show strong, convincing evidence of need for educational courses to upgrade or maintain current level of services
• Cost-effective budget – a good budget narrative shows strong, convincing correlation between the expenditures and the proposed project and Provides details and convincing budget notes justifying planned expenditures
• Applicant’s Qualifications - Clearly explains how the applicant’s qualifications will help ensure long-term sustainability
• System Integration - Strong, convincing evidence the education addresses and improves system compatibility
• Financial Need - Strong, convincing evidence the education addresses and improves system compatibility

Thank you for all you do for all our Colorado communities! We are here to support you, so please do not hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns.

Click here to see the CREATE deadlines and connect to the guidelines.

Thank you for all you do for our Colorado communities!

If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720-248-2742.

Weekly CREATE Bulletin

Quick Reminders About CREATE Guidelines

Are you thinking of applying for a CREATE Grant? Make sure you’re eligible! You must:

• Have as EMS or Trauma as your provision of work
• Be a Colorado EMS or Trauma Facility (Hospital, Clinic, Fire, Ambulance, Rescue Team, etc.)
• Complete the four pre-application steps
• Complete the general application by the desired review date
• Paramedic, EMT, AEMT students must take and pass National Registry Exam. 
• Follow grant guidelines

Are you confused about what CREATE covers? CREATE is a tuition reimbursement program that will fund:

• 50% tuition, fees, and books reimbursement.
• 50% reimbursement of mileage, lodging expenses
• 50% reimbursement of conference registration, mileage and lodging expenses

Click here to see the CREATE deadlines and connect to the guidelines.


Thank you for all you do for our Colorado communities!

If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720-248-2742.

Weekly CREATE Bulletin

What happened to Summer?

Can you believe it’s already August? Summer vacations are winding down, and kids are heading back to school. Time flies! Now it the perfect time to brush up on your CREATE deadlines and the guidelines. It’s never too early to plan your year!


Click here to see the CREATE deadlines and connect to the guidelines.


Thank you for all you do for our Colorado communities!


If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720-248-2742.

Weekly CREATE Bulletin

10 Steps to Success!

1. Contact CRHC CREATE staff for assistance and answers to your questions.

2. READ the grant guidelines and ask questions about things you do not understand.

3. Submit supporting financial documents such as the Organizational Budget, Profit and Loss Statement and Balance Sheet to help justify your need for funding.

4. Submit detailed information in your narratives to help the reviewer understand your need.

5. Clearly communicate the organization’s sustainability plan.

6. Apply and plan early to ensure you meet deadlines.

7. Make sure all program participants meet the eligibility criteria for reimbursement.

8. Ensure all of your expenses meet the reimbursement criteria

9. Ask your internal leadership for application support (letters, internal review before submittal)

10. Use the scoring tool posted on the CREATE website to self-score your application before submitting to make sure it’s perfect!



Thank you for all you do for our Colorado communities!

If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720-248-2742.

SEMTAC July Meeting

EMS and Trauma Community,

The next quarterly business meeting of the State Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Advisory Council will be held Thursday, July 30, 2015, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Sabin Cleere Room 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South Denver CO 80246

This is an open public meeting. Committee, task force and work group meetings will be held on Wednesday, July 29, 2015.

Agendas, committee schedules and additional information are available on the SEMTAC Google Drive folder. The teleconference information for Wednesday’s committee meetings is listed on the committee day schedule, and the call in number to listen to Thursday’s SEMTAC meeting is 712-432-3100, conference code 767111.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please visit www.coems.info

Weekly CREATE Bulletin

Did you know that the CREATE Scoring Tool used in CREATE Review’s by the Financial Waiver and Expert Review Committee’s is posted on the CREATE website? This tool is an outstanding tool for self-evaluating and improving each section of your grant application. Before you submit your application for the next review, take time to self-score and also ask others in your agency to score your application and provide feedback. It’s up to you to make sure that your application directly speaks to the reviewer and provides enough detail that they can offer you high passing scores and a demonstrated understanding of your need for emergency or trauma education / training.

For more information or to apply for CREATE, contact Grants Manager, Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720-248-2742.


Thank you for all you do for our Colorado Communities!

Weekly CREATE Bulletin

Deadlines can really creep up on you! Can you believe it’s already July? Our first CREATE deadline of the new fiscal year is next Monday, July 13th!

Are you planning on applying for CREATE so you or others in your organization can attend the National EMS Safety Summit (August 26 -28)? Then you need to apply by Monday!

If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720-248-2742.


Thank you for all you do for our Colorado communities!

Weekly CREATE Bulletin

It’s a New (CREATE) Year, Make It Your Best!

July 1 marked the beginning of a new fiscal year for our CREATE grant program. We have updated guidelines, deadlines and a new standard course list. Click the links below to find this important information:

Click here for the 2015 – 2016 Guidelines!

Click here for the 2015 – 2016 Financial Waiver Guidelines!

Click here for the updated Standard Course Cost List!

Thank you for all you do for all our Colorado communities! We are here to support you, so please do not hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns.

If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720-248-2742. 

Weekly CREATE Bulletin

Deadlines for 2015 – 2016 Announced!

Submission Deadlines:	Review Dates:
July 13, 2015	July 28, 2015
August 10, 2015	August 25, 2015
September 14, 2015	September 29, 2015
October 12, 2015	October 28, 2015
November 9, 2015	November 17, 2015
December 1, 2015	December 15, 2015
January 11, 2016	January 26, 2016
February 8, 2016	February 23, 2016
March 14, 2016	March 29, 2016
April 11, 2016	April 26, 2016
May 9, 2016	May 24, 2016
June 13, 2016	June 28, 2016

Thank you for all you do for all our Colorado communities! We are here to support you, so please do not hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns.

If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720-248-2742.

2015-2016 HPP Funding

The 2015-2016 HPP (emergency preparedness) funding information for hospitals and RHCs will be released soon. Look for an email from Greg Jones at CDPHE/OEPR for details. If your emergency preparedness contact person has changed or if you want to confirm or add contacts for your facility please email Ron Seedorf at rs@coruralhealth.org.

Weekly CREATE Bulletin

Having trouble with grant writing? We can help!

Grant Writing 101 - Submitting your best application

Join us for the second of a four part series dedicated to helping you with your grant writing in 2015 and beyond. Megan Lyda, Manager of the CREATE program, and Matt Enquist, Outreach Coordinator, as we delve into the second part of our series. We’ll focus on grant composition (proofreading, planning your grant based on the guidance, LOIs, and grammar and voice) and we’ll save plenty of time for questions.

Click here to sign up!

Thank you for all you do for all our Colorado communities! We are here to support you, so please do not hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns.

If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720-248-2742.

National EMS Memorial Service

Weekend Tribute Announced for Air Medical and EMS Line of Duty Deaths

The “Weekend of Tribute” for the Air Medical Memorial and National EMS Memorial Services will be June 25-28th. This year 33 individuals from 7 states and 6 countries will be honored between the two services. The events begin Thursday evening at the Air Medical Memorial site in Littleton, followed by a Remembrance Ceremony at 7:00 a.m. on Friday morning. Activities then transition to the Antlers Hilton in Colorado Springs on Friday afternoon. The National EMS Memorial Service will be held at the Pikes Peak Center at 6:00 on Saturday evening. Also of interest that week, the Colorado portion of the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride will depart from Ft. Collins on Wednesday, en route to Littleton and then onto Colorado Springs as part of the Weekend of Tribute.

The Weekend of Tribute is organized and hosted by the following organizations: Air Medical
Memorial, National EMS Memorial Bike Ride, National EMS Memorial Service, and the
Survivors Network for Air and Surface Medical Transport. The lives of air medical and EMS
providers who died in the line of duty in 2014 will be honored and celebrated.

Families, friends, colleagues of the fallen, and the public are invited and encouraged to attend in
a show of support as we honor our own for their selfless service and sacrifice.

Specific times and locations for all events are listed at www.weekendoftribute.org

Weekly CREATE Bulletin

Who is 2015’s Most Eligible Student?

Who is eligible for a CREATE grant to fund a course? Well, unfortunately, not everyone. A student eligible for CREATE on the course roster must be affiliated with an eligible agency (an agency with the purpose of providing emergency medical and trauma services in Colorado) and must successfully complete all course requirements to be considered eligible.

If a student is from an agency or entity other than the applicant agency, a letter of support or form signed by an appropriate representative from their agency that includes student’s name, class name, date they are attending (or attended) the course, and the student’s relationship with the agency. This requirement applies to all training courses, but does not apply to conferences.

If applicable, the form or letter needs to be submitted with the other reporting requirement items after course completion. Any additional back-up material regarding eligibility should be retained by the grantee entity and does not need to be submitted.


Thank you for all you do for all our Colorado communities! We are here to support you, so please do not hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns.

If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720-248-2742.

Weekly CREATE Bulletin

What are they thinking?

The CREATE Expert Review Committee (ERC) reviews all submitted applications. Do you ever wonder what they are thinking? When you are writing your application, do you ever wish you had psychic abilities so you knew what the ERC members would think of your grant or so you knew the winning lotto numbers? Well, we may not be able to give you psychic abilities, but we can provide some guidance on how the ERC scores and ultimately decides on your application.

Your application is scored based on the following criteria and how well you articulate each part of your narrative:

· Service Need – a strong grant will show convincing evidence of need for educational courses to upgrade or maintain current level of services.

· Priority to Underdeveloped or Aged Systems– you must show strong, convincing evidence of need for educational courses to upgrade or maintain current level of services

· Cost-effective budget – a good budget narrative shows strong, convincing correlation between the expenditures and the proposed project and Provides details and convincing budget notes justifying planned expenditures

· Applicant’s Qualifications - Clearly explains how the applicant’s qualifications will help ensure long-term sustainability

· System Integration - Strong, convincing evidence the education addresses and improves system compatibility

· Financial Need - Strong, convincing evidence the education addresses and improves system compatibility


Thank you for all you do for all our Colorado communities! We are here to support you, so please do not hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns.

If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720-248-2742.

Weekly CREATE Bulletin

There are many resources we offer to our grantees and potential grantees. Here’s an easy way to remember the many ways we can help you CREATE your best!

Call us! Call 720-248-2742 and we will be happy to walk you through the application process!

Resources! Click here to find the “resource button” that will take you to webinars, guidelines and more!

Examples of the required financial documents for your CREATE application!

Allowable course listing! Click here to see just some of the courses CREATE funds.

Tool used for scoring your CREATE application. Click here and use this scoring sheet as a guide for writing your CREATE application.

Email us with questions, concerns or attachments for your application! Send your messages to ml@coruralhealth.org.


Thank you for all you do for all our Colorado communities! We are here to support you, so please do not hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns.

If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720-248-2742.

Weekly CREATE Bulletin

National EMS Week, May 17-23, 2015, is the perfect time to honor your local EMS professionals and promote awareness of their everyday service to the public. EMS is much more than a ride to the hospital. It is a system of coordinated response and emergency medical care, involving multiple people and agencies.

To learn more about National EMS Week visit http://www.emsstrong.org/.

As we take the opportunity to THANK our state’s EMS providers, we wanted to remind you about the CREATE program. CREATE assists private and public organizations in improving and expanding the emergency medical and trauma system in Colorado.

Specifically the program offers a 50% cash match to provide funding to EMTS agencies for education and training of emergency medical and trauma service providers working in Colorado.

In order to access the CREATE grant application, you must complete the 5 pre-application steps first. To learn more visit https://coruralhealth.org/create.

Thank you for all you do for all our Colorado communities! We are here to support you, so please do not hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns.

If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720-248-2742.

It s Nurses Appreciation Week!

It’s Nurses Appreciation Week!

If you haven’t already this week, we encourage you to thank a nurse for his or her service and dedication. Did you know that nurses can benefit from CREATE? Organizations may apply for courses to ensure their nurses are trained in emergency and trauma care. For example, allowable courses include:

· Course in Advanced Trauma Nursing (CATN)
· Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course (ENPC)
· Trauma Nurse Core Course (TNCC)

For more information, click here for our Standard Course List.

Thank you for all you do for all our Colorado communities! We are here to support you, so please do not hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns.

If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720-248-2742.

Weekly CREATE Bulletin

Watch out for those sneaky deadlines!


Deadlines can creep up on us quickly. Here are some reminders about what’s coming up in the next 2 months. Make sure you mark your calendars!


· Monday, May 11th: CREATE Application Deadline
· Monday, June 1st: Financial Waiver Deadline
· Monday, June 8th: CREATE Application Deadline

Also, remember: The Rocky Mountain Trauma Conference is a little over a month away! Have you registered?

Thank you for all you do for our Colorado communities!

If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720.248.2742.

Weekly CREATE Bulletin

Don’t Be a Copy Cat!

No one likes a copycat – especially when applying for more than one course or conference in one grant application. Writing one master service need and cost effective project budget narrative then cutting and pasting it into all other course section narratives is a recipe for failure. Having key messages, stats and objectives is fine, but the tone and focus of each course narrative should reflect each individual course requested. It may take longer than cutting and pasting, but you’ll get a much higher success rate this way.

Develop your key facts and figures
These are the things that don’t change (or don’t change much) from one application to the next. They could include your organization’s background, what makes you unique, monitoring & evaluation, budget, etc.

Don’t assume what the ERC will assume
Just because the Expert Review Committee (ERC) members are all experts in EMTS, does not mean you should assume they understand the justification for your request. Write in clear and accessible language. Reading it out loud will help you express your need in the most effective way possible.


Thank you for all you do for our Colorado communities!


If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org or 720.248.2742.

Weekly CREATE Bulletin

Webinars to Help You CREATE Your Best

Colorado Rural Health Center and the CREATE Program frequently offer webinars to help guide you through the grant writing program. Here are two opportunities you shouldn’t miss if your organization relies on grant funding:

How to Write a Successful CREATE Grant and Avoid Common Mistakes

Grant writing can be stressful. You send your hard work off and hope that the Expert Review Committee approves your request. But is the committee looking for? What makes a strong application? This webinar will go through some helpful guidance on what makes or breaks an application and the common mistakes many grantees make. Click here to register for this webinar.

Grant Writing 101 - Finding the Right Opportunities

Join us for the first of a four part series dedicated to helping you with your grant writing in 2015 and beyond. Megan Lyda. Manager of the CREATE program, and Matt Enquist, Outreach Coordinator, as we delve into the first part of our series. We’ll focus on prospecting, the art of finding grant opportunities (with a focus on free resources) and we’ll save plenty of time for questions. Click here to register for this webinar.


Thank you for all you do for all our Colorado communities! We are here to support you, so please do not hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns.

If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org.