Today is National EMS for Children Day!

National EMS for Children Day places a spotlight on the delivery of high-quality emergency medical care for children, focusing on the unique needs of critically ill or injured pediatric patients and the challenges faced by EMS professionals in meeting those needs. The EMS for Children program is working with EMS leaders nationwide to ensure that all children - no matter where they live, attend school, or travel, receive the best care possible in an emergency situation. Go to our EMS Week page to help spread the word!

Funding Opportunity: CDC

This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is expected to fund four recipients to address state-specific needs related to the public health problem of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years). ACEs are linked to chronic physical and mental health problems, future violence victimization, and reduced life opportunities. Examples of ACEs include experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect; witnessing violence; and having a family member attempt or die by suicide.

Funded recipients will implement comprehensive strategies and approaches designed to reduce ACEs. Under this NOFO, recipients will increase use of primary prevention activities that are based on the best available evidence. Recipients will be expected to leverage multi-sector partnerships and resources to improve ACEs surveillance infrastructures and the coordination and implementation of ACEs prevention strategies across the state as a whole and communities within the state. As a result, recipients will increase their capacity to develop and sustain a surveillance system that includes ACEs-related data and increase implementation and reach of ACEs prevention strategies that help to promote safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments where children live, learn and play.

Recipients will focus on the implementation of at least two designated strategies derived from CDC's Division of Violence Prevention's resource, Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Leveraging the Best Available Evidence.

Zen and the Art of Pediatric Readiness Podcast

Pediatric Readiness is not just an ideal -- it's a tangible plan, a toolkit, and even better, an attitude!

This 30-minute podcast from Dr. Tim Horeczko's Pediatric Emergency Medicine Playbook provides an excellent overview of what Pediatric Readiness truly means and what ED personnel can do at an organizational and personal level to increase readiness.

Click here to listen.

National Pediatric Readiness Toolkit has been Updated

The updated National Pediatric Readiness Project (NPRP) Toolkit is now available as a free open-access resource intended for use by all providers (e.g. technicians, nurses, physicians, EMS providers, and ancillary staff) across the spectrum of pediatric emergency care to help facilitate delivery of high quality care to all children. The content is organized by the seven domains of pediatric readiness: Administration and Coordination; Healthcare Provider Competencies; Quality Improvement; Policies and Procedures; Patient Safety; Support Services; and Equipment, Supplies, and Medications. The tools and resources align with the joint policy statement “Pediatric Readiness in the Emergency Department” and will assist pediatric emergency care providers to better understand and achieve the components of pediatric readiness in their emergency department. The NPRP toolkit also provides support and recommendations for other stakeholders involved in pediatric emergency care such as hospital directors, quality improvement leaders, family advisory network personnel, caregivers, and patients.

The materials included in the NPRP Toolkit will be updated periodically to ensure the latest recommendations and guidelines are included. Sign in or create an account to stay connected to receive notifications when new materials are added and help ensure we are meeting the needs of all users.

PRQC Final Team Presentations

The National Pediatric Readiness Quality Collaborative (PRQC) is coming to a close at the end of June. Spread over two days—June 16th and June 23rd—our teams will present the incredible work they have accomplished over the nearly two-year-long collaborative. Teams will share their successes, best change strategies and plans for sustaining their improvements in Pediatric Readiness. The call-in information is listed below. If you would like a calendar invite, please email Meredith Rodriguez, PhD at mrodriqu@bcm.edu.

ENA Partners with the Resilient-Project, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDs, and ACEP to debut “Resilient”

ENA partnered with the Resilient-Project, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDs, and ACEP to debut this song, “Resilient”. It’s a song of inspiration and strength originating from a new musical, Mata Hari by Dave Ogrin and Jay Berkow, performed by emergency health care professionals and more than 60 Broadway theatre artists! View here.

New in Press: Emergency Medical Services Utilization by Children

Several of our Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) investigators examined 507 ED records from a rural, 3-county region of northern California for clinical features of children (0-14 years old) based on their mode of transport. The authors found that children who are transported to rural EDs via EMS are likely to be more ill and require more resources than those who arrive by other modes of transportation. You can read the abstract here.