Compassionate Options for Pediatric EMS (COPE)

EMS providers are often the first line to console grieving parents who have lost a child because of a traumatic event or illness outside the hospital. Moreover, the initial encounter with grieving parents of pediatric fatalities is overwhelming to EMS providers because they feel inadequately prepared to handle the incident which has resulted in EMS providers leaving the profession.

The goal of this project is to develop a systems approach to out-of-hospital (OOH) pediatric death that equips EMS providers with the knowledge, tools and skill set needed to manage emotional and psychological effects for the grieving families they encounter as well as for themselves.

If you or someone you know is thinking about self-harm, suicide, or is experiencing a mental health crisis, please know that help is available.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/