The Albany Gazette - Supporting Rural Health Through Innovative Technology

SIOUX FALLS, SD / ACCESS Newswire / July 28, 2026 / You don't forget calls like that one.

A rancher. A buffalo. A small town where everyone knows everyone.

When the call came in, it wasn't routine. In rural EMS, you learn quickly that 911 is never for something simple. It's for the moments that matter most. The moments when seconds count and the outcome is uncertain.

This was one of those moments.

In communities like Kimball, South Dakota, emergency response doesn't look like it does in a big city. There isn't a full trauma team waiting around the corner. There aren't specialists down the hall. It's a handful of trained responders, often volunteers, showing up for their neighbors. That day, Ed was one of those responders.

He knew the patient. He knew the stakes. And he knew, almost immediately, that this situation was bigger than what one team, in one ambulance, could handle alone. The injuries were severe. Time was critical. And in rural healthcare, time often comes with distance.

But something was different.

Less than a week earlier, that ambulance had been equipped with a virtual health system through Avel eCare. A tablet mounted inside the rig. A connection to a full team of emergency experts. A resource that could be activated in seconds.

Before the patient was even fully loaded, that connection was live. Suddenly, Ed wasn't alone.

On the other side of the screen were experienced clinicians. Emergency physicians. Nurses. A team that could see what he saw, assess what he was assessing, and guide care in real time. They zoomed in on injuries. Helped evaluate lung function. Monitored vitals. Talked through next steps. Coordinated critical decisions.

But just as importantly, they took on everything else.

They made the calls to the receiving hospital. They coordinated the helicopter. They handled the logistics that would have otherwise pulled Ed's attention away from the patient in front of him.

That's what a virtual health system really means.

It's not replacing the provider on scene. It's supporting them. It's extending the team. It's giving them the ability to focus on what matters most, right in front of them. In rural EMS, that kind of support changes everything.

Because when you're in the back of an ambulance with a patient who is bleeding, struggling, fighting to survive, you don't need more tasks. You need more hands. More eyes. More expertise. Even if those hands and that expertise are virtual.

This is the reality of rural healthcare.

It's not just buffalo attacks, although sometimes it is. It's strokes where the nearest hospital is an hour away. It's ATV accidents with life-altering injuries. It's cardiac events, farm accidents, highway crashes.

When someone calls 911, it's urgent. It's serious. And the people who respond carry that weight every single time. They show up. They do everything they can. And sometimes, they need help.

That's where we come in.

At Avel eCare, our role is simple: be there when it matters most.

We bring board-certified emergency physicians, experienced nurses, and paramedics directly into those moments through a virtual health system that connects care teams in real time. We support the people on the ground, we help guide care, we help coordinate next steps. We help carry the load.

Across the country, ambulances are now equipped with this capability, connecting rural EMS teams to immediate clinical support when they need it most.

And the impact is real.

Not just in data or metrics, but in lives.

That rancher survived. He still lives in that community. People still see him around town.

Rural healthcare has always been built on resilience. On neighbors helping neighbors. On doing more with less. But resilience doesn't mean doing it alone. It means building systems that support the people who show up when everything is on the line. It means making sure that no matter how small the town, no matter how far the distance, no provider is ever truly by themselves.

Because in those moments, when everything is at stake, no one should be.

See how Avel eCare's Virtual Health System is helping EMS teams across rural America respond with confidence. Watch the real story behind this buffalo attack emergency and learn how virtual support is changing emergency care.

Learn more about Avel eCare EMS: https://www.avelecare.com/services/ems/

About Avel eCare

Founded in 1993 as the nation's first virtual hospital, Avel eCare provides virtual emergency, EMS, critical care, pharmacy, clinic, senior care, and behavioral health services to healthcare partners across the U.S. The organization specializes in expanding access, improving outcomes, and supporting care delivery in rural and underserved communities.

Contact:

Jessica Gaikowski, Director of Marketing & Communications [email protected] | 605.606.0150

SOURCE: Avel eCare

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

(B.Ramirez--TAG)