EMSC National Resource Center Services

The Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) National Resource Center (NRC) provides support to the Federal EMSC Program. The NRC works primarily with state health departments, medical-based universities, and stakeholder organizations that receive EMSC Program funding (collectively known as EMSC grantees/contractors).

The NRC:

• Provides Technical Assistance to EMSC Program Grantees
  The NRC works with each grantee to improve existing emergency medical services (EMS) systems and to develop and evaluate improved procedures and protocols for treating children. Specifically, the NRC provides guidance in project management, identification of resources and model programs, grant writing, grant management, strategic planning, implementation of performance measures, and the training of pre-hospital and hospital care providers.

• Maintains Partnerships with National and Professional Organizations
  The NRC currently works with more than 20 national and professional organizations to identify and address the key issues affecting EMSC, including, but not limited to: managed care, disaster preparedness, children with special health care needs, mental health, family-centered care, and cultural diversity. The Center develops national task forces and publishes comprehensive reports drawing attention to many of these critical issues.

• Collaborates with Federal Organizations
  In keeping with the EMSC Program’s commitment to research, the NRC collaborates with numerous federal agencies (known collectively as the Interagency Committee on EMSC Research) to improve the quality and quantity of EMSC research, to foster collaboration between federal agencies in highlighting EMSC research topics during development of research agendas, and to reduce barriers to the production of high-quality EMSC research. The NRC also collaborates with the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network or PECARN, the first federally-funded pediatric emergency medicine research network in the United States. In addition, the NRC works with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Indian Health Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on many research and non-research activities, as needed.

• Serves as an Informational Clearinghouse
  The NRC maintains a comprehensive database of EMSC publications and products that have been created using federal funds. Most of these products are available, free of charge, as downloadable documents from the Publications and Resources section. Others are available by contacting the NRC resource specialist.

  The NRC also publishes quarterly toolboxes, a collection of information and resources on a specific topic currently of interest to the EMSC community, and runs five listservs: the EMSC Grantee Listserv (QuickNews), the PECARN Listserv, the Research Listserv, the Family Advisory Network Listserv, and the PECARN Public Relations Listserv.

  In addition, the NRC manages the Federal EMSC Program web site, located at http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/emsc.

• Plans the Annual EMSC Grantee Meeting
  Each spring/early summer, the EMSC Program hosts the Annual EMSC Grantee Meeting. The NRC is responsible for planning all educational activities and special meetings/events, recruiting speakers, providing logistical support, and ensuring the availability of networking opportunities. The NRC is also tasked with overseeing the National Heroes Awards Program.

• Supports EMSC Program Staff
  The NRC is often assigned special projects to assist federal staff in the management and evaluation of overall EMSC Program goals and activities. In the past, these have included: developing performance measures that are specific to the EMSC Program; creating reports for national distribution (e.g., the 10-year retrospective report, the 20-year report, the five-year plan, and the three-year strategic plan); organizing webcasts through mchcom.com; and assembling “how-to” guides to assist grantees with specific project tasks, such as establishing effective leadership within the state.

• Oversees the EMSC Family Advisory Network
  The EMSC Family Advisory Network (FAN) is an alliance of family representatives who support state EMSC program staff by sharing their expertise and life experiences as consumers of the EMS system.