The Emergency Medical Services for Children Program: Accomplishments and Contributions

For 20 years, the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program has raised awareness about the importance of providing emergency medical care to children that is matched to their physiological and psychological development, targeting healthcare professionals, emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma system planners, and the public. Since 1984, the EMSC program has provided federal funding to states and university schools of medicine to establish EMSC programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 5 US territories to help improve the EMS system for children. Other EMSC program grant funding has been used to establish national resource centers, develop model products and resources, and support the infrastructure for a pediatric emergency care research network. The EMSC program also established partnerships with national organizations and federal agencies to improve awareness of children's special needs and integrate pediatric emergency care into the larger EMS system.