If you make a 911 call for a medical-related incident, dispatchers now give you pre-arrival instructions, which range from how to administer CPR, to controlling breathing, to even staying calm until the ambulance crew arrives.

As of Dec. 1, all medical-related 911 calls are now transferred to the Emergency Communications Center in Rochester, where specially-trained staff give pre-arrival instructions to the caller, which in turn helps them provide more information to the ambulance crew heading to the scene. This transfer is immediate and there is no cost for this additional service.

“This service is just another way for us to better meet the needs of our patients,” says Mike Juntunen, Albert Lea Medical Center EMS manager. “The more information our crews have when they arrive on the scene, the better the outcomes.”