2021 All-Grantee Meeting highlights successes, lessons learned in the field

Nearly 300 Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) grantees and stakeholders came together — virtually — for the 2021 EMSC All-Grantee Meeting, which ran from August 31 to September 2. The event featured 60 speakers from across the EMSC and pediatric emergency care space and included 11 plenaries, 23 breakouts, and two poster sessions comprising 20 projects and papers.

The goal of the meeting, which is held semiannually, is to bring together EMSC-funded programs: the EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center; the National EMSC Data Analysis Resource Center; the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network; the State Partnerships Program, including the Family Advisory Network; and Targeted Issues grants, along with federal partners and national organizations.

Highlighting the breadth and scope of EMSC

The meeting was kicked off by Michael Warren, MD, MPH, FAAP, Associate Administrator, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, which funds EMSC. Warren emphasized the collaborative approach of the EMSC.

“None of us does this work alone,” said Warren. “You all know that in your day-to-day work — if you’re in a prehospital agency or in a hospital, if you work for state government, if you work for an academic center — none of us is able to achieve the kind of population outcomes that we would like on our own. Partnerships are key.”

Other plenary session topics included patient and family experiences from the last year; pediatric mental health care; pediatric readiness analytics and toolkits; equity, diversity, and inclusion; the status of the pediatric trauma system; and human trafficking.

Many sessions were formatted as panels and included representatives from across the EMSC highlighting the program’s multifaceted, multidisciplinary approach to improving pediatric emergency care. In several cases, sessions were punctuated by powerful personal stories from patient and family representatives — including Family Advisory Network representatives: LeeAnn Domonske-Keller, NR-AEMT, CACO, CAPO, CADS; Mark Johnson, MPA; Sandra Nasca, RN; Lisa Sherman, BFA, MDiv, DMin; Laurie Warnock, MPH, EMTB; and Melissa Winger, CPXP, CPHQ.

Session recordings can be viewed here and are organized chronologically and by topic. The meeting also included an interactive, virtual poster hall, as well as two live poster sessions, which featured innovative research projects across the EMSC program. The posters can be viewed here.

A unique opportunity to connect

Outside of the plenary, breakout, and posters sessions, the meeting included fun opportunities for networking and socializing.

“The All-Grantee Meeting is a unique opportunity to connect, to celebrate our collective success, and to explore lessons learned,“ says Theresa Morrison-Quinata, EMSC Branch Chief. “We are so appreciative of everyone’s active participation in the event, and most important, for the amazing work you do each and every day to improve emergency care for children.”

In post-meeting evaluations, when asked “What was most valuable to you from this experience?” participants answered with the following:

• “Exposure to many facets of EMSC programs and projects + efforts to encourage networking and activities during breaks”
• “Learning from the other state partners how they are driving change and success in pediatric readiness”
• “The opportunity to see the vision and priorities of the EMSC program”
• “Nice to see new faces presenting, felt like an amazing community of EMSC”
• “The connections and thought-provoking talks”

The meeting was coordinated by the All-Grantee Meeting Planning Committee, including: Jocelyn Hulbert, Federal EMSC Program Project Officer; Louis Gonzales, MPH, CPPS, CPHQ, LP; Jennifer Talley, MM; Robin Goodman, RN, MSN, CPEN.; Rachael Alter, BS, EMT; Emily Lemiska, BA, Eddie Zamora, MPH; Rene Teeler; Hannah Watchey, MHA; and Sofia Arias, MS, CHES.

The next meeting is expected to be held in 2023.