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Indiana Emergency Medical Services for Children
Background
Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) is a federal program designed to reduce pediatric morbidity and mortality as a result of severe injury and illness. EMSC was first established in the 1980s. Housed under the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau, it provides competitive grant funding for state wide initiatives and pediatric research.Between 1996 and 2005 Indiana EMSC worked with the state EMS commission to standardize and update pediatric equipment for BLS and ALS provider transport vehicles, partnered with the Kiwanis to deploy Broselow equipped bags, and provided multiple novel educational opportunities for prehospital providers. However, due to lack of funding, the program ceased to exist in 2005. In 2006 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published “Growing Pains,” reporting that, although, pediatric patients comprise 27% of emergency visits; many hospitals and EMS agencies are not well equipped to handle pediatric patients. Indiana has 1,577,629 children between the ages of 0-17 years of age, comprising 25% of it’s population. IEMSC was restablished with state partnership grant funding in 2009 under the direction of Dr. Elizabeth Weinstein.
National State Partnership Program Initiatives
EMSC focuses on improving the quality of emergency care for children, and seeks to integrate children’s interests into the existing EMS system.
o Ensuring the availability of on-line and off-line medical direction for pre-hospital providers caring for pediatric patients
o Ensuring availability of essential pediatric equipment as defined in the national guidelines put forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Surgery Committee on Trauma, American College of Emergency Physicians, National Association of EMS Physicians and EMSC
o Assisting to establish hospital recognition for pediatric medical and traumatic emergent stabilization
o Ensuring that hospitals have written interfacility transfer guidelines for pediatric patients to provide timely transfer to pediatric or tertiary referral centers when medically needed
o Integrating the interests and unique needs of children into the existing EMS system
Indiana EMSC Program Initiative Efforts
o Efforts to ensure that all children everywhere in the state have timely access to appropriate emergency medical care
o Efforts to provide support and pediatric educational opportunities for pre-hospital and healthcare providers throughout the state
o Supports injury prevention efforts by participating with state partners including Safe Kids, IU School of Medicine Emergency Medicine’s Advocacy Program, and local fire departments
o Provides Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals (PEPP) course materials, training SIM Manikins, training to EMS providers through state partnership grant funding, and seeks to increase educational opportunities to ALS/BLS providers across the state through regional presentations in rural communities
o Provides pediatric vital sign cards to EMS providers
o Integration of pediatric perspectives into on-going statewide EMS and Trauma programs and initiatives
o Developing freely available evidence based model pediatric emergency protocols
Community Partnerships
Indiana Fire Chiefs Association, Indiana Department of Homeland Secuirty, Indiana State Department of Health, Kiwanis, Indiana University Emergency Medicine , American Academy of Pediatrics Indiana Chapter, Asthma Alliance, Optimists, Emergency Nurses Association, MESH, Indiana University, and Indiana Rural Health Association
Indiana EMSC Staff
Elizabeth Weinstein, MD, FAAEM, FACEP, FAAP
Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Riley Hospital for Children and Wishard Memorial Hospital
Director, Indiana Emergency Medical Services for Children Program
elweinst@iupui.edu
Stephanie Fahner, RN, BSN
Indiana University School of Medicine
Program Manager, Indiana Emergency Medical Services for Children Program
sastout@iupui.edu
Contact Us
Office Telephone: (317) 630-7399
Office Fax: (317) 656-4125
3930 Georgetown Road
Indianapolis, Indiana 46254
References
Institute of Medicine. (2006, June). Emergency Care for Children: Growing Pains.
Board on Health Care Services.
This year's Hurricane Season runs from June 1st to November 30th, and experts are predicting a busier-than-usual season. The AAP Children and Disasters Web site includes various resources that you might find helpful, including:
- Disaster Preparedness for Pediatric Practices, an online tool to help practices develop a written plan
- Standards for Disaster Shelter Care for Children
- Supplies for Infants/Toddlers in Mass Care Shelters
- Ideas for Chapter Initiatives (setting up a key contact network to use in an emergency, etc.)
For more information, see: http://www.aap.org/disasters/hurricanes-storms.cfm
Separately, more than half of all AAP Chapters have identified an AAP member volunteer who can serve as a Disaster Preparedness point-of-contact. Information on these contacts and relevant state initiatives was compiled here: http://www.aap.org/disasters/state-initiatives.cfm
Please check the information that relates to your state Chapter - much has happened since this information was initially posted (including the H1N1 pandemic influenza), and we would like you to provide us with any updated information. Stacia Simon, an AAP employee who will be helping us out for the summer, has reviewed the most recent Chapter annual reports. She and I will be getting in touch with you separately to update the information on our Web site.
Also, please review the AAP Children and Disasters Web site at http://www.aap.org/disasters/index.cfm
If you have suggested changes or additions, I would be happy to post them.
Thank you for your consideration!
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