The Colorado Rural Health Center is currently accepting applications for Colorado Resource for Emergency & Trauma Education (CREATE), the education and training component of Colorado’s Emergency Medical and Trauma Services grant program funded by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Next application deadline: October 5, 2026. The controlling 2026-2027 deadline schedule does not publish a submission clock time or time zone, so Atlas is not inferring either. Applications are reviewed monthly, with later published deadlines continuing through June 1, 2027.
Eligibility: Applicants must be organizations whose purpose includes providing emergency medical or trauma services within Colorado. Individual participants must provide EMTS services as an essential part of their job duties, or be sponsored by an eligible EMTS entity and meet employment standards. Individuals may not apply directly.
Funding and match: CREATE is a reimbursement program. Under the standard structure, CREATE will pay up to 50% of eligible expenses within its published course allowances and the applicant provides a 50% cash match. Applicants demonstrating financial hardship may request a waiver reducing the required cash match, but at least a 10% cash match remains required. State funds from the HUTF-EMS Account, RETAC funding, and CREATE awards to other entities cannot be used for the required match.
Published examples at the standard 50% match include a CREATE share of up to $1,517 for EMT training and $5,201 for Paramedic training. The standard list is not exhaustive; other courses may be considered case-by-case when they specifically address EMS or trauma services and a syllabus is provided.
Eligible costs: tuition, required course fees, EMTS-specific prerequisites, required books and course materials, the first National Registry exam attempt when applicable, course-completion cards, and reasonable travel and lodging within program rules. Conference requests must directly relate to EMS/trauma care or leadership and require supporting registration/program information.
Ineligible costs: uniforms and shoes, vaccinations, PPE, background checks, testing and physical examinations, meals, memberships, salary backfill, conference-production costs, and the purchase or lease of training equipment, electronic devices, or durable medical equipment. The latter exclusion expressly includes examples such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers.
Application process and prerequisites: Applicants must first complete the CREATE pre-application process. Each participating agency must maintain an OATH organizational profile updated within the prior three months. Certain ambulance services, trauma centers, and EMS agencies with scope-of-practice waivers must also be current with applicable state EMS/trauma data submissions. Applicants then submit the CREATE contact form and vendor form, including a W-9 dated within the last 12 months, before receiving access to the application. No approved course expense may be incurred before the official approval letter, except the limited early-bird conference-registration treatment described in the guidelines.
Required/supporting materials: the application asks for entity and grant-contact information, cash-match source, affected counties, course/training details, service-need and system-impact narratives, financial need and cost-effectiveness information, applicant qualifications, and supporting evidence. State-approved training centers seeking initial-training support must provide at least three years of enrollment history and a sponsoring-entity letter. Non-standard courses require a syllabus. Applications are public records and may be reviewed for additional documentation.
Submission and contact: Applications are submitted through the Colorado Rural Health Center CREATE process after required pre-application steps. Program questions may be sent to create@coruralhealth.org or 720-248-2742.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 78/100. N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. QC Healthcare / Dr. Miltie direct-vendor fit: 0/100 unless an independently verified qualifying EMS-training service exists.
The Nonagon N9+ is not a legitimate fit for this program because CREATE expressly excludes purchases or leases of electronic devices and durable medical equipment. The program is focused on EMS and trauma education and training rather than clinical equipment acquisition. Dr. Miltie should not be positioned as a direct applicant: eligible applicants must be Colorado EMTS entities and a mandatory cash match applies, even when a financial waiver is approved.
Strong provisional applicant candidates include Colorado fire/rescue and ambulance agencies with documented training needs. Lyons Fire Protection District and Nederland Fire Protection District are examples of potentially eligible agencies, but any applicant-specific pursuit should be based on a verified course/training request rather than device placement.