Federal Emergency Medical Services for Children Program Marks EMS for Children Day

Needing to call 9-1-1 for your child is every parent’s worst nightmare. But our nation’s EMS clinicians are always there, ready to respond.

In recognition of EMS clinicians’ commitment to meeting the unique health needs of children and families, EMS for Children Day is celebrated annually on the Wednesday of National EMS Week. This annual day, which takes place May 22 this year, also highlights the efforts of the federal Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program, which has worked to improve emergency care for children over four decades.

This year, the EMSC program will host a free webinar for EMS clinicians on May 22 from 5-6:30 p.m. Eastern: “Prehospital Pediatric Airway Management: The Past, Present, and Future.” The webinar will share historical milestones, current practices, and future advancements from the EMSC experts who have pioneered the work in this important—and challenging—clinical area. Live participants are eligible to receive 1.5 hours of free CAPCE-approved continuing education credits. Register for the webinar at https://bit.ly/EMSforChildrenDay.

“We are honored to participate in EMS Week and help thank EMS clinicians for being ready to care for children in emergencies,” says Kathleen Adelgais, MD, MPH, a national expert in prehospital pediatric care and part of the EMSC program’s Innovation and Improvement Center. “Pediatric airway management is a great example of the need for evidence-based, pediatric-specific prehospital care. We look forward to showcasing the progress made and what’s still to come.”

Adelgais emphasizes that measuring pediatric capabilities is integral to high-quality care. She serves as co-lead for the Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Project—an initiative of the EMSC program in collaboration with 30 national partners and experts—which recently launched the first comprehensive, national pediatric assessment of EMS agencies. EMS and fire-rescue agencies can learn more and participate in the assessment at https:/bit.ly/prehospitalpedsready.

For more information about EMSC Day, including themed materials like thank-you cards and activities for children, visit https://bit.ly/EMSforChildrenDay. To see a video about the impact of high-quality prehospital pediatric care on one child and her family, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E8vtaKiLbU. For more information about the EMSC program, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, visit https://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs-impact/emergency-medical-services-children-emsc.

Part of the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program, the EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center (EIIC) is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of award U07MC37471 totaling $2.5M with zero percent financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov. For more information about EIIC or the EMSC program, visit https://emscimprovement.center/.