Improving emergency response in rural areas

What is the problem?

Propane gas leaks can cause unsafe levels of carbon monoxide (CO) to build up inside a home. People—and especially children— who breathe in CO can become very sick.

When emergencies like CO poisonings happen in rural parts of New Mexico, providing timely health services can be difficult. Often, rural areas do not have the staff or special skills to respond as quickly as in other areas.

What did Tracking do?

New Mexico's tracking program has developed educational resources to use during CO emergencies. Patient education materials on CO exposure and poisoning and other topics are available on the program's tracking Web site.

Also, tracking staff are available to consult with health care workers across the state about health education and outreach.

Improved public health

Because of the state tracking program's resources, health care workers across the state can better serve the emergency needs of rural residents. Health care workers can access materials any time of the day to educate their communities about:

• Propane gas safety,
• CO exposures, and
• Associated health effects.

Without the state tracking program, rural communities would not have access to such high quality materials.