Partnership combines trusted emergency infrastructure with clinical guidance and telehealth to improve access, reduce unnecessary utilization and support better outcomes.
Two nationally recognized leaders in healthcare innovation – Global Medical Response (GMR) and Avel eCare – today announced a strategic partnership to launch 911 REACT (Rural Emergency Access, Care & Telehealth), an integrated 911-to-clinical-care access model for rural America, where distance and workforce constraints can delay medical care.
“For too long, the default has been an ambulance and the emergency department,” said GMR Chief Operating Officer and President Ted Van Horne. “This program offers another option, helping rural residents get answers, manage symptoms around the clock and access care at home, easing pressure on overburdened systems and supporting better long-term outcomes.”
Turning 911 Into a Coordinated Front Door to Care
For many rural residents, healthcare is increasingly out of reach. With time and distance working against both patients and providers, scarce emergency resources must be preserved for the most serious, time-sensitive conditions. But the current system does not always make that distinction. CDC reporting finds an estimated 40% of emergency department visits involve patients who could be treated effectively in nonurgent care settings – highlighting a significant opportunity to better match patients with the level of care they need.
911 remains universally known, trusted, and available 24/7. With the right design, its infrastructure and public confidence can be leveraged not only as an emergency response system, but as a coordinated front door to healthcare – connecting patients to appropriate care earlier, before conditions worsen.
“This is not about layering technology on top of a broken system; it’s about reimagining how medical care reaches rural communities,” said Avel eCare Chief Executive Officer Doug Duskin. “By combining Avel’s depth in virtual care with GMR’s unmatched 911 infrastructure, we’re delivering a practical, scalable solution that works in the real world – not just on paper.”
A Proven, Integrated Solution for a Known Problem
At the center of the collaboration is an integrated model that more closely aligns emergency communications with clinical assessment and advanced telemedicine – capabilities that have historically operated in silos. The 911 REACT model combines GMR’s proven 911 Nurse Navigation approach, tailored for rural communities, with Avel eCare’s robust virtual care platform, which brings clinical expertise directly to patients regardless of location.
For qualifying 911 calls with less critical medical need, local 911 communication centers can transfer callers to a nurse navigator who listens to symptoms, asks targeted questions, and uses physician-approved guidelines to determine the most appropriate next step. Increasingly, that step may include real-time virtual care – connecting patients to clinicians through Avel eCare’s platform – alongside other options such as urgent care, nearby clinics, or clinically guided self-care.
By expanding access to timely, appropriate care at the earliest point of contact, the model aims to address not only immediate resource constraints, but also longer-term challenges. Enabling patients to seek care when issues are still manageable – without the barriers of travel or limited local services – has the potential to improve outcomes, reduce unnecessary emergency utilization, and ease downstream strain on the healthcare system.
Strength at Scale, Built for Rural Realities
The partnership is about ensuring geography doesn’t determine outcomes. It aligns with federal and state efforts to modernize rural healthcare delivery, particularly initiatives focused on expanding access, addressing workforce shortages, and improving long-term system sustainability.
GMR and Avel eCare bring national reach and proven performance. GMR is the country’s largest – and only fully integrated – air and ground emergency medical services provider, delivering care to more than 60% of the U.S. population. With more than 30,000 team members, GMR provides advanced dispatch and transport logistics and decades of experience supporting federal, state, and local governments during daily emergencies and large-scale public health crises. Its family of solutions includes American Medical Response, Air Evac Lifeteam, REACH Air Medical Services, Guardian Flight, Med-Trans Corporation, and AirMed International.
Avel eCare brings more than 30 years of experience delivering high acuity virtual care in support of emergency, stroke, trauma, and critical care programs nationwide. The organization is built to integrate with bedside teams and complex workflows, providing reliable clinical support in high-stake environments where access and coverage are critical.
Together, the organizations deliver a practical pathway from the first call to clinical guidance to on-the-ground response – helping rural communities strengthen access without starting from scratch.
Read the full release on ACCESS Newswire.