The mission of the EMS for Children program is to reduce child and youth mortality and morbidity caused by severe illness or trauma. EMS for Children aims to ensure that
The program funds and supports pediatric emergency care improvement initiatives and projects in every U.S. State, Territory and the Freely Associated States (republics of Palau and Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia).
EMS for Children also supports:
State Partnership Grants (SP): In response to the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Report “Growing Pains,” and in partnership with EMS-professionals from across the country, the federal EMSC Program implemented baseline performance measures to address the gaps in healthcare identified in the IOM Report. Based on ongoing assessments conducted by the EMSC State Partnership grantees, the EMSC Program has been able to complete the only national assessment of pediatric pre-hospital emergency care in the nation. EMSC performance measure data has been collected from thousands of EMS agencies and hospital’s to assess:
Additionally, Program Partners in the states and territories focus efforts to ensure that:
Targeted Issue (TI) Grants are awarded to eligible applicants to help address issues of national significance that extend beyond State boundaries. Typically, these grants result in new products or resources, or show the feasibility of new methods, policies, or practices.
Examples of products and resources developed:
Studies conducted by TI grantees have resulted in new knowledge regarding:
Current studies include:
Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) demonstrates the value of an infrastructure or network designed to be the platform from which to conduct investigations on the efficacy of treatments, transport, and care responses in emergency care settings including those preceding the arrival of children to hospital emergency departments. PECARN provides the leadership and infrastructure needed to promote multi-centered studies, support research collaboration among EMSC investigators and to encourage informational exchanges between EMSC investigators and providers. PECARN conducts meaningful and rigorous multi-institutional research into the prevention and management of acute illnesses and injuries in children across the continuum of emergency medicine health care. PECARN works with diverse demographic populations and across varied geographical regions to promote the health of children in all phases of care. The PECARN network consists of multiple Emergency Departments across the nation which represent academic, community, urban, rural, general, and children’s hospitals. The entire network serves approximately 1 million acutely ill and injured children every year. The PECARN network has published numerous peer reviewed articles that focus is on improving pediatric emergency care nationwide.
State Partnership State Partnership Regionalization of Care (SPROC) grants establish agreements and ultimately implement a regionalized healthcare delivery system to get the right resources to the right patient at the right time.
Pediatric emergency care requires specialized training, equipment and medications, but in many areas, specialized medical resources are scarce or non-existent. Limited personnel and system resources, coupled with a community’s isolation and geography hampers a family's ability to access pediatric specialty care 24/7 whenever needed.
Regionalization includes building healthcare networks within and beyond a States’ borders to optimize limited resources and the development of a model regionalized healthcare system that could be replicated in other areas across the country.
In some cases, this may involve moving resources, personnel or simply knowledge. Components of these models could provide approaches to community engagement, disaster preparedness, and cross-jurisdictional governance, as well as improved pediatric capacity and mechanisms for sustainability.
Future EMSC programs goals are:
The EMS for Children program has partnerships with multiple federal agencies:
The EMS for Children program is also involved with several Federal collaboratives, including the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS, National Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee and the Interagency Committee on EMSC Research, whose focus is on improving the quality and quantity of EMSC research.
The program partners with diverse national organizations that improve emergency medical care of children through the exchange of knowledge and collaboration. These partnerships include but are not limited to: Academic Pediatric Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians, American college of Surgeons, American Heart Association, American Pediatric Surgical Association, American Public Health Association, Emergency Nurses Association, Family Voices, National Association of EMS Physicians, National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, National Association of EMS Educators, National Association of School Nurses, National Association of Social Workers, National Association of State EMS Officials, National PTA, National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, SAFE KIDS Worldwide, the American Trauma Society and the Society of Trauma Nurses.