2012 EMSC Program News


Indiana EMSC and MESH Offer JumpSTART Provider Training on National EMSC Day (04/27/12)

The Indiana EMSC program and MESH (a non-profit, public-private coalition that enables healthcare providers to respond effectively to emergency events and remain viable through recovery) are offering free pediatric multi-casualty JumpSTART Triage provider training on National EMSC Day. Please see the attached flyer for details.


EMSC Program Meeting Highlights (04/26/12)

  • Evidence Based Guidelines in Emergency Care

    There is a national effort to develop and implement Evidence Based Guidelines (EBG) in the prehospital setting. Join us, Thursday, May 10 at 9:15 am, to understand what an EBG looks like and what goes into its development. Hear the experience of current projects that have developed and implemented EBGs in EMS systems and how this process can be used in clinical care settings.

  • Bridging the Gap between the EMSC Community and Pediatric Emergency Medicine

    Please join Manish Shah, MD, and Anthony Gilchrest, MPA, BS-EHS, EMT-P, for the "Bridging the Gap between the EMSC Community and Pediatric Emergency Medicine" breakout session, Thursday, May 10 from 2:00-3:15 pm. The purpose of this session is to discuss the gaps between your EMSC program, pediatric emergency medicine (PEM), and the EMS community and identify ways to bridge those gaps, and to describe ways to develop effective partnership networks within academia, hospital and EMS systems, advocacy organizations, and regulatory agencies to impact the delivery of emergency care provided to children. If you are interested in sharing or hearing examples of successful partnerships that has led to the achievement of EMSC performance measures or other improvements in care, please consider attending this interactive session.


Alaska EMSC Re-opens Recruitment for EMSC Program Manager (04/20/12)

The Alaska EMSC Program has re-opened its recruitment process for an EMSC program manager. The job opening is posted on the Workplace Alaska website. To read more on this Public Health Specialist II position, read the Recruitment Bulletin.


NEDARC Seeks to Fill Two Positions (04/19/12)

The National EMSC Data Analysis Resource Center (NEDARC) seeks to fill two positions for their office in Salt Lake City, Utah, a Biostatistician II and a Sr. Research Analyst. Both job listings can be found on the University of Utah Human Resources website.

If you or someone you know is looking for a job related to EMS for Children and data, review the job descriptions above and apply.


Learn About the Nuts and Bolts of PECARN at This Year’s EMSC Program Meeting (04/19/12)

The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) will offer a series of sessions during this year's 2012 EMSC Program Meeting. The sessions will help EMSC grantees understand the role of PECARN and ways in which the different grant programs can become involved in pediatric clinical research. The sessions will be broken out into the following:

  • PECARN for Targeted Issue (TI) Grantees: This session will provide a brief overview of PECARN followed by in-depth discussion of three TI projects that could now benefit from a symbiotic relationship with the multi-center network. The TI grantees will discuss challenges and benefits to expanding to multi-center research, and PECARN investigators will form a panel for discussion.

  • PECARN for State Partnership (SP) Grantees: By working in tangent with the EMSC community at large, PECARN becomes stronger and the pediatric emergency care system benefits. This session will include a brief overview of the network and the symbiotic relationships that can and should occur between PECARN and SP grantees.

  • PECARN for Family Representatives: Attend this session to learn about PECARN and why the network is important to the Family Advisory Network. A research participant will provide a family member's perspective on the challenges associated with study recruitment and retention. A brief discussion will follow.


Texas EMSC Establishes EMSC State Partnership Listserv (04/16/12)

The Texas EMSC program has recently established the EMSC State Partnership Listserv, The Pony Express. If you would like to join the bandwagon, e-mail Texas EMSC Program Manager Tony Gilchrest at adgilchr@texaschildrens.org.


Arizona Implements Regionalized Pediatric Emergency Care System (04/13/12)

Arizona EMSC has implemented the Pediatric-Prepared Emergency Care (PPEC) program, a voluntary certification program of pediatric standards for emergency departments. Hospitals become certified if they meet specific criteria and are prepared to provide emergency care resources and capabilities for pediatric patients. If necessary, these hospitals can stabilize a child for transfer to a facility that offers more specialized pediatric care.

Nine facilities across Arizona will be among the first to receive the certification based on site visits conducted between December 2011 and March 2012. The certification includes three levels -- Prepared, Prepared Plus Care, and Prepared Advanced Care.

In 2010, the Arizona Department of Health partnered with the Arizona Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to establish the certification, conduct certification reviews, and offer continuing pediatric emergency education. Only hospitals that are members of the chapter's partnership can apply for certification, and their membership fees will eventually sustain the program. In addition, the new partnership has identified two key areas for improvement: the need for more pediatric resources devoted to mental health and disaster preparedness.


EMSC Program Offers Continuing Education Hours for 2012 EMSC Program Meeting (04/12/12)

The EMSC Program is pleased to announce that through its EMSC National Resource Center 17.5 contact hours have initially been approved for physicians by the Indian Health Service Clinical Support Center. Continuing Nursing Education hours are still pending.


Don't Forget EMSC Day Promotional Resources on NRC Website (04/12/12)

This year, EMSC Day will be held Wednesday, May 23, 2012, in conjunction with EMS Week (May 20-26). To help promote National EMSC Day, the EMSC National Resource Center has created a variety of resources targeting key audiences to help grantees, family representatives, and child advocates prepare for the daylong celebration. Promotional resources include:

Feel free to use these resources as a guide in preparation for local EMSC Day 2012 festivities! Please share with us how you celebrated EMSC Day in your state. EMSC QuickNews will feature local celebration stories over the next few weeks.

Former EMSC Grantee and Stakeholder Member Receives Meritorious Achievement Award for State/Provincial Chairs (03/22/12)

On March 9, 2012, Arthur Cooper, MD, former EMSC grantee and stakeholder member, received the 2012 Meritorious Achievement Award for State/Provincial Chairs by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT). As a member of the ACS-COT these past 15 years, Dr. Cooper has served in many capacities, including the chair of the pediatric subcommittee of the ACS-COT, a member of the Advance Trauma Life Support committee (ATLS) and a member of the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB). During his various roles, Dr. Cooper has always applauded EMSC and reminded every adult surgeon, “Don’t forget the kids.” Dr. Cooper also ensured that the NTDB worked to collect data on all injured children, and as a result, the NTDB has developed a pediatric report for many years. Congratulations Dr. Cooper and thank you for being a champion for children!


Indiana EMSC Issues Call for Health Care Hero Nominations (03/16/12)

The Indiana EMSC program has released its March 2012 newsletter highlighting a call for nominations for the 2012 EMSC Day Health Care Hero Awards. These awards honor healthcare providers, public safety workers, and community leaders throughout the state who have had the opportunity to provide excellent care to children. Indiana EMSC is seeking nominations for community members who have provided care to children within one of the following areas: dispatch of emergency care, prehospital care, emergency/hospital care, public safety, community leadership, and pediatric community advocacy work.


Texas EMSC Welcomes Two New FAN Representatives (03/12/12)

The Texas EMSC program would like to welcome two new Family Advisory Network (FAN) representatives: Jeanine Pinner and Debbie Wiederhold. Ms. Pinner is the training and outreach coordinator for Texas Parent to Parent (TxP2P), a statewide nonprofit organization that provides information and support to families of children with disabilities, chronic illness, and other health care needs. She is also a Partner in Policymaking Graduate, class of 2000. Ms. Wiederhold is a coordinator for the Medical Education Residency Training Program (MEd Program) and a resource coordinator for TxP2P. She is also a Partner in Policymaking graduate. Welcome to the EMSC family!


Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Fire Department Kick Off Pediatric Simulation Training (03/12/12)

Last week, Texas Children's Hospital (TCH) and the Houston Fire Department (HFD) kicked off its Pediatric Simulation Training for Emergency Prehospital Providers (Pedi-STEPPs). A grant from the Cullen Trust for Healthcare, as well as a community benefit donation from TCH, will allow this innovative training to be offered, free of charge, to 500 HFD firefighters during the next two years. EMSC Targeted Issues Grantee Manish Shah, MD, serves as one of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) content matter experts for the course and helped design the scenarios, skills stations, and pediatric assessment lecture with several of his PEM colleagues. Both TCH and HFD are official collaborators of the Texas EMSC State Partnership grant.


South Carolina EMSC Partners with MCHB to Reduce the Risk of SIDS and Accidental Sleep-related Deaths (03/09/12)

The South Carolina EMSC program has partnered with the state's Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) to develop the training guide Give Your Baby Room To Breathe: A Safe Sleep Training Guide. The guide will be used by Healthy Start, Cribs 4 Kids, and other community programs to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and accidental sleep-related infant deaths. The guide defines SIDS, addresses myths, and offers various tips related to creating a safe infant sleeping environment for parents and caregivers. The training guide is available in both English and Spanish.


EMSC Targeted Issues Project Creates New Pediatric Section of ESI Handbook (03/08/12)

The 2012 edition of the Emergency Severity Index (ESI) Implementation Handbook is now available on the Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality (AHRQ) website. The handbook includes a new pediatric section aimed at helping emergency department nurses use the ESI to triage children. Anna Waller, ScD was the principal investigator of the EMSC Targeted Issue grant that helped to create the content for this section; pediatric case studies in chapters 6, 9 and 10; and a validated set of 25 pediatric triage case studies. In 2010, the MCHBcom.com webcast ESI for Pediatric Triage, presented by the University of North Carolina project team, featured information about the Targeted Issue ESI project. The validated pediatric triage case studies can be downloaded online.


EMSC Recognition Award Nomination Closes March 30 (03/02/12)

The EMSC Recognition Awards nomination deadline is Friday, March 30. This provides grantees an opportunity to acknowledge other EMSC grantees, FAN representatives, or members of the EMSC community who has been helpful in: (1) initiating or ensuring success of your EMSC program, a community project or product, (2) spreading information about recruiting participants in a clinical study, (3) collaborating with a community organization to help spread the word about EMSC, (4) navigating the EMSC program as a newcomer, and so forth. Of course, these are just a few suggestions among the dozens of reasons to consider when nominating a member of the State Partnership, Targeted Issues, or PECARN community.

Winners will be recognized during a special session at this year's Annual EMSC Program Meeting. To facilitate a quicker and simpler nomination process, the EMSC National Resource Center is utilizing Survey Monkey to gather information about each nominee. Please take a few minutes today to complete the brief survey.

Completed surveys are due no later than March 30, 2012. Current grantees (e.g. State Partnership, Targeted Issues, and PECARN) and FAN can nominate past and present grantees, advisory committee members, and FAN representatives. Please make sure the entire nomination form (demographics and open-ended responses) is completed to ensure a thorough submission.


EMSC Issues Call for Posters for Its Annual Program Meeting (03/02/12)

The EMSC Program is hosting a poster session during this year's Annual EMSC Program Meeting from 5:00pm to 7:00pm on Wednesday, May 9. To make this successful, we need grantee participation. Displaying a poster is an excellent opportunity to share research with fellow EMSC grantees, our federal partners, and more than 200 attendees. Projects do not have to be complete as posters on interim results, study design, or a portion of the project are welcome.

To display a poster at this year's Program Meeting, complete the Poster Session Information Form and return it to Roshni Devchand (rbhimani@childrensnational.org or fax to 301-244-6301) by April 2, 2012.


Ohio EMSC Introduces Emergency Departments: Pediatric Prepared Program (03/01/12)

The Ohio EMSC program recently completed its first-ever consultation visit as part of its new Emergency Departments: Pediatric Prepared (EDPP) program. The EDPP program is "designed to help hospitals demonstrate their ability to assess, treat, and transfer injured and ill pediatric patients, and to assist them in meeting the national minimum standards in pediatric emergency care." The program is currently in its pilot phase.

The site visit team recommended to the Ohio EMSC Committee that University Hospitals (UH) Geauga Medical Center be recognized as the first member of the EDPP program. In addition, Ohio EMSC is working with UH Bedford Medical Center and UH Richmond Medical Center to complete their application to the program and to schedule their site visits. Several hospitals outside the UH system have also indicated an interest in EDPP.

Hospitals interested in finding out more about EDPP, and pediatric emergency care providers interested in participating on consultation teams, should contact Ohio EMSC Program Manager Joe Stack at (614) 387-1949 or by e-mail at jestack@dps.state.oh.us.


Iowa EMSC Program Manager Receives Lifetime "Making a Difference Award" (02/24/12)

On September 13, 2011, Iowa EMSC Program Manager Katrina Altenhofen received the "Safe Kids Iowa Lifetime Making a Difference Award" during the 10th Annual Keeping Kids Safe: Iowa Child and Youth Injury Prevention Conference.

Ms. Altenhofen was recognized as someone who has dedicated her life, both professionally and personally, to pediatric injury prevention. She consistently takes injury prevention to the next level and goes above and beyond her normal job responsibilities to provide a significant and positive impact in the field of injury prevention.

Ms. Altenhofen has been the state coordinator for the EMSC Program at the Iowa Department of Public Health since 1995. She is a nationally certified paramedic and holds a Masters of Public Health degree. She served as the Safe Kids Iowa coordinator from 1997-2000. Congratulations Katrina!


Nevada EMSC Welcomes New Program Manager (02/24/12)

The Nevada EMSC program would like to introduce their newest member, Barry Smith. Mr. Smith began his EMS career back in 1978 where he worked on ambulances answering emergency 911 calls. He later became a paramedic in 1980 and spent 22 years working in Santa Clara County, CA. In 2002, Mr. Smith moved to Reno, NV, and began working as a paramedic for the Regional EMS Authority (REMSA). In 2004, he became the continuous quality improvement coordinator for the ground ambulance service at REMSA and was most recently selected as an EMS field representative for the State of Nevada in December 2011.

Mr. Smith serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Emergency Medical Services and has been a contributing author for several publications. Barry Smith may be reached at bdsmith@health.nv.gov. Welcome to the EMSC family Barry!


PECARN Utilized for Sampling to Determine A Qualitative Assessment of Factors That Influence EMS Partnerships in Prehospital Research (02/23/12)

Academic Emergency Medicine, February 2012; 19(2) published a study, A Qualitative Assessment of Factors That Influence Emergency Medical Services Partnerships in Prehospital Research investigating the barriers and motivators to participating in research at the agency and provider levels and to solicit suggestions for improving the success of prehospital research projects. A qualitative exploratory study of 88 EMS prehospital providers from 11 agencies was conducted using a focus group as well as interview methodology with EMS administrators and researchers. EMS personnel affiliated with the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) hospitals were selected for participation.

Factors that influence participation in research and suggestions for ensuring successful research partnerships were identified, coded, and analyzed. During data analysis, the PRECEDE/PROCEED planning model was chosen for behavioral change to organize the data. The model will help researchers successfully plan, implement, and complete prehospital research projects.

The study concluded that future work is needed to determine the validity of this model and to assess if the findings are generalizable across prehospital settings other than those affiliated with PECARN.


Indiana EMSC Offers Free PEPP Instructor Course (02/17/12)

The Indiana EMSC program is offering a Spring Pediatric Education for the Prehospital Provider (PEPP) course. This is a free course! Please relay any questions to Indiana EMSC Program Manager Stephanie Fahner RN, BSN.


Maryland EMSC Welcomes New FAN Representative (02/16/12)

The Maryland EMSC program would like to welcome its latest Family Advisory Network (FAN) representative Mary Ellen Wilson, BSN, RN. Ms. Wilson is a returning member for both FAN and the Maryland Pediatric Emergency Medical Advisory Committee. She is a mother, grandmother, fire department auxiliary member, and an active pediatric nurse with the local and state Emergency Nurses Association. She currently works at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and can be reached at mewilson@jhmi.edu. Welcome to the EMSC family!


Meet Guam EMSC's New Family Advisory Network Representative! (02/13/12)

Renee Apiag is Guam EMSC's newest Family Advisory Network representative. Ms. Apiag is a mother of four and is happily married to Guam Fire Department Captain Darren Apiag. Ms. Apiag has a long history of parental involvement in the Guam public school system and in the community as a parent volunteer for sports programs, church, and other civic organizations.

Recently, Ms. Apiag was informed that her child needed major orthopedic surgery, which is only offered in Hawaii. Since then, she has been tirelessly trying to find the financial means for the medical transport of her child. Ms. Apiag participated in the Pacific Islands EMSC Regional (PIER) group meeting held in Guam in October 2011 to discuss inter-island transfer agreements between Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Although pediatric orthopedic specialists visit Guam at least twice a year, the surgery can only be performed in Honolulu at Shriner's Hospital. Ms. Apiag's situation is like so many other families in Guam and in the surrounding islands—having a child requiring off-island specialized pediatric medical care with no financial means to transfer a child to the facility. As an advocate for the Guam EMSC program, she wants to ensure that all children have access to specialized pediatric medical care no matter where they live, go to school, or travel in the United States. Ms. Apiag can be reached at a.dren@ymail.com. Welcome to the EMSC family!


ACS to Update Equipment for Ambulance Document: EMSC to Present A Unified Response to Guide Revision Process (02/02/12)

The EMSC National Resource Center (NRC) is soliciting input from EMSC grantees and stakeholders to help update the document Equipment for Ambulances. As you may recall, the Equipment for Ambulances document was last updated in 2009 and is a joint endeavor between the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT), the American College of Emergency Physicians, the National Association of EMS Physicians, the EMSC Partnership for Children Stakeholder Group, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The document provides a national standard for the equipment needs of basic life support and advanced life support ambulances in North America in order to provide accepted standards of patient care. It also served as the fundamental basis for the development of EMSC performance measure 73: “The percent of patient care units in the state/territory that have essential pediatric equipment and supplies as outlined in national guidelines.”

To ensure that the EMSC perspective is incorporated, the EMSC NRC would like to consolidate EMSC grantee and stakeholder opinions into one cohesive list of recommendations, which will then be presented to the review committee for which the Health Resources and Services Administration has representation. To facilitate the development of this list, EMSC grantees and stakeholders are encouraged to complete the Equipment for Ambulances survey, hosted at SurveyMonkey.com by March 1, 2012. (In addition, grantees are welcome to provide responses directly to the ACS website.)

It is anticipated that ACS will open a second public review. The EMSC community will be notified if and when this happens. Thank you for your participation.

NHTSA Office of EMS Releases Progress Update on the Evidence-Based Guidelines for Prehospital Emergency Care Project (02/02/12)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the EMSC Program has worked with EMS stakeholders since 2008 to develop an evidence-based guidelines (EBG) model for prehospital emergency care. NHTSA has released on Ems.gov a progress report on activities that have taken place related to the EBG project and future plans.

TI and SP Coalition Help Delaware EMSC Implement Pediatric Emergency Care Facility Recognition Program (01/27/12)

The federal EMSC Program is proud to recognize the Delaware EMSC program as the fifth state in the nation to successfully implement the Pediatric Emergency Care Facility Recognition Program. According to a news release issued by Delaware Health and Social Services, "Every Delaware acute care hospital that treats children voluntarily chose to participate in this new program, which required them to meet state standards and be visited by a review team." Since 2007, the Delaware EMSC Standards Committee, a group of 19 Delaware clinical emergency care experts, has worked to develop the statewide recognition program to standardize emergency medical care for children.

The North Carolina EMSC Targeted Issue (TI) grant project headed up by J. Wayne Meredith, MD, provided additional support for the implementation of Delaware's recognition program. Dr. Meredith's TI grant will analyze and report on the recognition and care of injured children in states with/without a Pediatric Emergency Care Facility Recognition (PECFR) Program by (1) conducting structured data collection to compare pre- and post- PECFR categorization in addition to trauma center designation on the care of injured children and (2) describing how PECFR and trauma systems overlap, converge, or co-exist in parallel. The ongoing collaboration between the Delaware state partnership (SP) grantee and this multi-state TI project has proven successful in achieving EMSC performance measures 74 and 75 for Delaware.

EMSC Town Hall Conference Call Scheduled February 22: National Pediatric Readiness Project (01/26/12)

On February 22 at 1pm eastern, The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) will host its EMSC State Partnership Town Hall conference call. This call will focus on informing the State Partnership community of the upcoming National Pediatric Readiness Project. This project formed out of partnership between EMSC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Academy of Family Physicians, and Emergency Nurses Association, will begin with the release of a national survey of hospital emergency departments assessing their readiness to care for children of all ages based on the Guidelines for the Care of Children in the Emergency Department.

Guest presenters will be Marianne Gausche-Hill, MD, FACEP, FAAP and Katherine Remick, MD. Please call 1-866-823-9065, and enter passcode 1345468.


Colorado EMSC Launches New Website! (01/20/12)

To keep people engaged and up to speed on EMSC activities in Colorado, the Colorado EMSC program introduces its new website, located at http://emsccolorado.org/. The website allows the program to easily communicate messages and provide tools to the EMS community in Colorado. The site contains everything from a statewide education calendar and protocol templates to resources available in the state.


NRC Updates Coalition Building and Cultural Competency Toolboxes (01/19/12)

The EMSC National Resource Center (NRC) has recently updated its toolboxes on Coalition Building and Cultural Competency. The Coalition Building toolbox features a variety of resources that can assist the EMSC community in achieving collaborative results by committing to coalition building and appropriately engaging a sufficient number of key stakeholders. The Cultural Competency toolbox includes a variety of resources offering culturally and linguistically appropriate emergency medical care that is both respectful of and responsive to the cultural and linguistic needs of pediatric patients and their families. 

Please note that the newly designed toolboxes are best viewed in the Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer 9 web browser. If your computer does not have these capabilities, please click on the "old viewer" located at the bottom of the website.

EMSC Targeted Issue Grantee to Present on Pediatric Disaster (01/17/12)

EMSC Targeted Issue Grantee Mark Cicero, MD will be presenting at the upcoming Pediatric Disaster Webinar — Small Victims, Big Challenges: Pediatric Triage, Treatment and Recovery in Disasters. A fee will be associated with this webinar, sponsored by Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response.

Limited openings are still available for this January 26 webinar designed for healthcare professionals and others who support children's medical needs during a disaster or other types of emergencies.


Alaska Seeking EMSC Program Manager (01/13/12)

The Alaska EMSC program is recruiting a new program manager. The position, Public Health Specialist II, will be open nationwide until January 20, 2012. Experienced candidates should be familiar with grant writing and administration and program development and management; have knowledge of pediatric medical care; and have experience working with committees, coalitions, or advisory groups.


HRSA/MCHB to Host Webinar: Findings from the 2009-2010 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (01/13/12)

The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) is pleased to announce the webinar "Findings from the 2009-2010 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs" taking place Thursday, January 19, 2012, at 2:30 pm ET.

This program coincides with the data release of the 2009-2010 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN). Speakers will discuss the purpose, methodology, key findings, and ways to access both state and national data of the 2009-2010 NS-CSHCN.


PECARN Articles Make It to The Top 25! (01/12/12)

The Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network's (PECARN) articles, "Factors Associated with Cervical Spine Injury in Children After Blunt Trauma" (Annals of Emergency Medicine, August 2011; 58(2)) and "Do Children With Blunt Head Trauma and Normal Cranial Computed Tomography Scan Results Require Hospitalization for Neurologic Observation?" (Annals of Emergency Medicine, October 2011; 58(4)) were both among the top 25 downloads from July-September 2011 from the thousands of Annals articles that are downloaded from the ScienceDirect website. To see the current top 25 list, visit the Annals homepage. Congratulations!


Texas EMSC Releases Latest Edition of The Pony Express (01/06/12)

Texas EMSC has partnered with Covenant Children's Hospital and the Texas Tech University School of Medicine to develop a demonstration project proposal for the EMSC State Partnership Regionalization of Care grant aimed at reaching beyond state borders to overcome barriers to specialized pediatric medical and trauma care. The grant proposal is part of the state's latest priority, which aims to "develop a standardized system for the categorization or designation of hospitals capable of providing immediate stabilization and/or management of critically ill and injured children."

To read more about this endeavor, read the current edition of The Pony Express.

Texas EMSC Rings in the New Year with Bold New Steps! (01/05/12)

The Texas EMSC program is excited to kick off the New Year with lots of exciting opportunities. Most notably, the Texas Children's Hospital, in partnership with the Texas EMSC program, will open what is believed to be the nation's first-ever pediatric EMS Center of Excellence (COE). The mission of the EMS COE is to improve the practice of prehospital pediatric emergency medicine.

The Center will be under the direction of Paul Sirbaugh, DO, Texas Children's Hospital, Clinical Chief, Section of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine and Assistant Medical Director for the Houston Fire Department EMS Division.

This new Center of Excellence will "establish partnerships among prehospital and hospital-based providers and between the community, families, and primary care physicians to enable advocacy that leads to policy-making and injury prevention, research that becomes translated into practice, education that improves patient care, and clinical care that is evidence-based and family centered as an extension of the health home to the prehospital setting."