EMS Week EMS for Children Day: EMSC Innovation & Improvement Center

Since 1974, the third week of May has been designated Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week. This May 21-27, 2023, we celebrate EMS clinicians and the important work they do in providing lifesaving services for so many Americans, including our most precious patients: children.

Since 2001, the Wednesday of EMS Week has been celebrated as EMS for Children (EMSC) Day. The day recognizes the commitment of prehospital clinicians who care for acutely ill and injured children and spotlights the work of the federal EMSC Program.

This year on May 24, the EMSC Innovation & Improvement Center (EIIC)—which supports the federal EMSC Program—hosted a webinar for EMS clinicians, “The Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator (PECC): Where Emergency Care for Kids Begins,” about the importance of identifying an individual dedicated to coordinating pediatric-specific prehospital care.

As part of its EMSC Day celebrations, the EIIC is also collaborating with the federal EMSC Program to release a Thank You video for EMS clinicians. In addition, EMSC Day-themed materials, ranging from thank you cards to activities for children, can be downloaded from the EIIC website.

“EMS clinicians are called upon not only for individual medical emergencies but also a growing number of other issues, including public health, social services, and disaster response,” says Kate Remick, MD, EIIC co-director and medical director for the EMS System of San Marcos Hays County. “In the ever-evolving health care environment, we are so grateful to our frontline providers for their skill, passion, and commitment to children and families.”

Learn more about EMS Week and EMSC Day at https://bit.ly/EMSforChildrenDay. For more information about the EMSC Program, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, visit https://emscimprovement.center/.