Learn about the State Partnership Rural Expansion projects

Four Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) State Partnership Programs recently received additional funding under the new Health Resources and Services Administration’s EMSC State Partnership Rural Expansion Program Grant. Colorado, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Wisconsin are the recipients of the competitive grant process.

Included below are brief abstracts for each state’s project objectives.

Colorado

To respond to the needs in Colorado's rural, remote, and tribal communities, we intend to: 1) Increase the number of hospitals in rural, remote, and tribal communities recognized by a pediatric medical recognition program and 2) Increase the number of pediatric emergency care coordinators. Utilizing the Colorado Pediatric Preparedness for the Emergency Room (COPPER), Colorado Pediatric Emergency Care Coordination (COPECC), and the EMS for Children Mobile Simulation Program, we will provide comprehensive training using a statewide program and expert consultation to provide programmatic support to EDs and EMS agencies in the three key areas of youth mental health emergencies, child abuse and neglect, and trauma-informed care.

Kentucky

The goals of this project are to increase the number of rural hospitals recognized by the statewide pediatric medical recognition program from seven to 14 facilities, increase weighted pediatric readiness scores for all participating facilities by at least 20%, and engage at least 50% of rural EMS agencies without an identified pediatric emergency care coordinator (PECC) in the catchment area of participating hospitals in project activities to encourage PECC designation.

Tennessee

Tennessee’s Rural Expansion program includes 34 EMS agencies located in the rural counties of our state. Our plan is to work with each agency individually to identify a PECC, and then provide resources to all of these individuals. We are also setting up quarterly training sessions with them to provide them with education they can take back to their agencies. Once they have established this robust program within their agency, we are awarding them with a pediatric safety transport device. This is an item that has been proven to be a need in our state, especially in rural counties. This grant has provided us with a means to address two very important performance improvement areas in enhancing pediatric emergency care in our state.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin EMSC will establish a voluntary hospital recognition program for pediatric medical emergencies and collaborate with statewide partners and staff at rural critical access hospitals to develop criteria for a hospital recognition program. The program will work with a minimum of five rural critical access hospitals to achieve hospital recognition. The voluntary hospital recognition program for pediatric medical emergencies will 1) assist emergency medical facilities in preparedness for pediatric care, 2) recognize facilities that have reached levels of care, and 3) assist parents and caregivers of pediatric patients to locate the appropriate facility to take their child to in an urgent/emergent situation. The program will enhance access to quality, evidence-based pediatric emergency care and improve health equity in rural and community emergency departments. The proposed work will improve the likelihood of receiving high-quality emergency care for every child in Wisconsin regardless of location.