EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FOR CHILDREN NEWSLETTER

news

VOLUME 14, NO.3, MAY/JUNE 2001

AAP/ACEP Release Guidelines for ED 

Pediatric Preparedness

I

t is widely known within the medical community that many hospitals and local emergency medical services (EMS) systems

throughout the U.S. are not adequately prepared to handle a sudden pediatric illness or

injury. To help improve the situation, the

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the

American College of Emergency Physicians

(ACEP), working under an Emergency Medical

Services for Children Contract, recently

released “Care of Children in the Emergency

Department: Guidelines for Preparedness.”

According to Susan Tellez, manager of

AAP’s Division of Hospital Surgical Services, the

guidelines outline recommendations for emergency department (ED) staff and administrators

to help manage the different physical, emotional, and psychological needs of ill and injured

children. They also provide information about

the timely transfer of children to a facility with

specialized pediatric services, if needed.

“More than 20 million children each year

are treated in the nation’s emergency departments,” said ACEP President Robert Schafermeyer, MD. “These guidelines represent a significant benchmark toward continued

improvement of emergency care. They are

attainable by all EDs, and they represent the

collaboration and support of 18 national organizations involved in caring for children.”

The 15-page document covers six topics:

administration and coordination of the EDs;

physician and nurse knowledge and training;

quality improvement; policies, procedures, and

protocols; support services; and equipment,

supplies, and medications. Any ED that provides care 24 hours a day, seven days a week,

and is continuously staffed by a physician will

benefit from use of these recommendations.

The guidelines are available free of charge

as a downloadable document from the AAP

and ACEP web sites at www.aap.org and

ww.acep.org, respectively.

Call for Program Proposals, Research Abstracts

Now Available for 2002 National Congress

E

ach year, more than 30 million children

and adolescents need emergency care for

a serious injury or illness. Of that number, nearly 20,000 children die and another

50,000 are permanently disabled. The third

National Congress on Childhood Emergencies,

scheduled for April 15-17, 2002, in Dallas, TX,

seeks to reduce these numbers by educating

and training emergency medical professionals,

parents, caregivers, and child health care advocates about how to improve the entire 

system of pediatric medical care. 

The theme of the 2002 Congress, “Taking

Action, Saving Lives,” reflects the conference’s

primary goal: to provide health care professionals, parents, and advocates the information and resources needed to take action

toward ensuring that every child in the nation

receives the highest quality care possible. 

Continue on page 2

INSIDE THIS

ISSUE

Page 3

Congress Logo/

Theme Unveiled

Page 3

Six Targeted Issue Grants

Awarded

Page 4 

Emergency Care 

Planning: Are You 

Using It?

Page 5 

EMSC Regional

Meeting Update

Page 6 

STAT: Enhancing 

Injury Prevention 

Programs

Page 8 

AAP Develops New 

Emergency Medicine

Research Award
EMSC Program Project Officer, MCHB

Cindy Doyle, RN, BSN, MA

Director, EMSC National Resource Center

Jane Ball, RN, DrPH

Managing Editor

Suzanne Sellman, MA

Editor

Donna Frassetto

Design 

Design Central, Inc.

EMSC News is a publication of the 

Emergency Medical Services for Children

(EMSC) Program, a federally funded initiative jointly administered by the Health

Resources and Services Administration’s

Maternal and Child Health Bureau

(MCHB) and the National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration. ISSN 1522-5275.

EMSC News is published six times a year

by the EMSC National Resource Center,

111 Michigan Avenue, NW, Washington,

DC 20010-2970; 202/884-4927 (phone);

202/884-6845 (fax); info@emscnrc.com 

(e-mail); www.ems-c.org (web). 

Subscriptions to EMSC News are free.

EMSC News welcomes articles on people,

programs, and procedures related to

emergency medical services for children.

All manuscripts, artwork, or photography

should be submitted to Suzanne Sellman

at the EMSC National Resource Center. 

© 2001 EMSC Program. All rights reserved.

Conference sessions will focus on

illness and injury prevention, primary

care, prehospital and emergency

department (ED) care, acute care,

rehabilitation, and reentry of children

with special needs into the home and

community. The conference will also

explore patient safety, advances in

clinical care, pediatric mental health,

bereavement, child and school health

care, and family-centered care. Participants will include medical (emergency physicians, pediatricians, surgeons, nurses, emergency medical

technicians, paramedics, school and

mental health professionals, emergency medical services (EMS) planners, and health care administrators),

and non-medical (parents, youths,

community advocates, business leaders, and policy makers) professionals.

Most of the educational programming for the Congress will be developed through a national Call for Program Proposals and Call for Research

Abstracts. Both documents are available through the Emergency Medical

Services for Children (EMSC) web site

(www.ems-c.org). 

Call for Program Proposals

Individuals and members of any

professional group are encouraged to

submit a proposal for an innovative

EMSC-related program, initiative, or

protocol. The National Congress Program Planning Committee will evaluate and rank each proposal. Those

that are approved will be selected for

a 75-minute concurrent session or a

poster session. Concurrent sessions

are limited to two speakers. Posters

are limited to one. The deadline 

for proposal submission is Friday, 

August 3, 2001.

Call for Research Abstracts

Abstracts for presentation of original research are being solicited for the

following topics: basic, behavioral,

clinical, costs, education, outcomes,

policy, systems, translational, or other

research areas of importance to the

field of EMSC. All submissions will be

evaluated and ranked according to a

peer review process. Papers will be

judged on originality, scientific quality,

and potential impact on EMS care.

Selected authors will be invited to present the work as a poster, poster symposium, or platform presentation. The

deadline for submissions is Friday,

November 30, 2001.

For more information about the

Calls for Proposals and Abstracts

visit www.ems-c.org or contact the

EMSC National Resource Center at

(202) 884-4927.

Call for Program Proposals, from page 1

National statistics show that

bike-related crashes kill 900

people each year and send

approximately 567,000 to hospital

emergency departments. Of those

killed, 30% are younger than 16 years

of age. As alarming as this may seem,

the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Survey on Bicycle

Helmet Usage found that bicycle helmet usage actually increased from 18%

in 1991 to 50% in 1998. As illustrated

by the following story, this is due in

part to the efforts of the emergency

medical services community.

Gisele Wellborn and Dillon

Williams learned the “wheel” meaning

of safety from Thomas Valley Emergency Medical Services (TVEMS)

paramedics Shawn Sorrow and

Susan Nichols. These paramedics surThe “Wheel” Meaning of Safety

prised the children with new bicycles

and helmets as part of the TVEMS

Bicycle Helmet Program. “Since the

summer of 1999, paramedics have

given away more than 1,600 helmets

to area youths,” said Julie Sullivan,

deputy chief for EMS in Loveland, CO.

“We are proud to say that the program

has grown from a one-employee operation to a community-wide safety

effort.”

All TVEMS vehicles are equipped

with bike helmets. Kids who are seen

riding without helmets are stopped

and given a helmet at no cost. Kids

who wear helmets are given coupons

from local restaurants for treats such

as ice cream and kids’ meals.

For more information about this

program, contact Thompson Valley

EMS at (970) 669-1235.

2 EMSC News MAY/JINE 2001 
T

aking Action, Saving Lives” is

the official theme of the 2002

National Congress on Childhood Emergencies to be held April 15-

17, in Dallas, TX. The Emergency

Medical Services for Children (EMSC)

Program hopes that the early unveiling of the theme and two-color logo

design for the meeting will give

grantees, Partnership for Children

organizations, federal representatives,

and other friends of EMSC a head

start in helping to promote and plan

ahead for the Congress. In 2000, more

than 900 individuals attended the second National Congress. EMSC hopes

to nearly double this figure in year

2002. 

Theme

In February, five themes were 

presented to federal Program Officers

from the Maternal and Child Health

Bureau (MCHB). “Taking Action, Saving Lives” received the most votes

because it is proactive and conveys a

sense of urgency and energy. “It’s

catchy and easy to remember,” said

MCHB project officer Cindy Doyle RN,

BSN, MA. “Staff also like the idea of a

broad, all-encompassing theme that

does not reflect one issue or aspect of

pediatric medical care.” This conference addresses the entire system of

pediatric emergency medical care and

crosses all disciplines—any medical

(physicians and surgeons, nurses,

emergency medical technicians, emergency medical services system planners, hospital faculty) and nonmedical

individuals interested in improving

emergency care for children are welcome to attend.

Logo

Capitalizing on the National Public Information and Education Campaign, the logo uses bright red and

vivid yellow to capture attention and

communicate urgency. It features the

theme, name of event, and a silhouette of a person with one hand reaching for a star. The goal of the logo is to

inspire providers, parents, caregivers,

and advocates to take child health

care to the next level. According to 

Doyle, “We’ve accomplished much in

the last 17 years, and although we

need to continue to explore the crucial issues for which this program was

found, we also need to explore new

areas of concern, such as outreach

and training to primary care

providers, child care workers, schoolbased personnel, mental health specialists, and physician residents.” 

The 2002 National Congress on

Childhood Emergencies will be held at

the Adams Mark Hotel just north of

downtown Dallas. For more information about the conference, read the

corresponding article “Call for Program Proposals, Research Abstracts

Now Available for 2002 National Congress” or contact the EMSC National

Resource Center at (202) 884-4927.

Six New Targeted Issues

Awarded in FY 2001

EMSC Unveils 2002 National Congress Theme and Logo 

“

I

n April, six new targeted issue

grants for emergency medical services for children (EMSC) officially

were up and running. This year, the

Maternal and Child Health Bureau

(MCHB) received 22 applications in

this category.

Targeted issue grants were established to address special needs or concerns of regional and national significance affecting children throughout

the EMSC continuum of care. These

grants typically yield new products,

data and research findings, clinical

practice guidelines, and model systems.

EMSC wishes to congratulate all of

the grant recipients, listed below by

grant title, organization, and principle

investigator.

• Coordinating Discharge Care for

Children with Injury and Special

Health Care Needs, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Mary Aikens, MD,

MPH

• Economic Evaluation of Intensive

Care Services for Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Patients,

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

Research Institute, John Tilford, PhD

• Emergency Preparedness for

Infants with Significant Heart Disease, Regents of the University of

Minnesota, Lee Pyles, MD

• Quality Improvement in Emergency

Medical Services for Children, Loyola University of Chicago, Division

of Emergency Medical Services, 

Evelyn Lyons, RN, MPH

• Intimate Partner Violence and Protocol: A Model for the Child-Centered Visit, The Curators of the University of Missouri, Denise Dowd, MD

• The School Nurse and Emergency

Medical Services Project in New 

Mexico, University of New Mexico

Health Sciences Center, Department

of Emergency Medicine, Robert 

Sapien, MD

EMSC News MAY/JUNE 2001 3
Achild is severely ill or injured

and requires immediate care.

Local paramedics are called to

the scene and the child is rushed to the

emergency department (ED). Situations

such as this are a parent’s worst nightmare. This fear only intensifies if the ill

or injured child has a special health

care need. Do the paramedics and ED

staff have the information needed to

provide the best care possible? 

To help parents of children with

special health care needs (CSHCN)

prepare for a medical emergency, the

health care community must embrace

the emergency care plan concept. The

Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program supports written

emergency care plans for CSHCN.

EMSC also suggests similar plans be

developed for healthy children. 

One of the best tools currently

available to help facilitate the planning process is the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) and the American College of Emergency Physicians’

(ACEP) Emergency Information Form

(EIF). Both AAP and ACEP recommend that primary care physicians

and specialists work with parents to

complete this two-page document,

which provides EDs and health care

workers with critical information

about the child’s chronic physical,

developmental, behavioral, or emotional conditions that are beyond

those of normally developed children.

The form is available free of charge

from the AAP and ACEP web sites at

www.aap.org and www.acep.org,

respectively.

Awareness Does Not Equal

Utilization

Many journal articles, trade

newsletters, and even national newspapers and programs have promoted

the availability of the EIF form. And

Emergency Care Planning: You’ve Heard of It, Are You Using It?

Med-evac to CNMC if he experienced

an emergency at home. That request

was sent in writing to Fauquier

County EMS. 

Three days later, TJ’s mother

called 9-1-1 when her son began

experiencing stroke-like symptoms.

“While waiting for paramedics to

arrive TJ asked his mother repeatedly to get ‘the paper,’ referring to a 4-

by- 6 summary card that contained

all his pertinent medical information

as part of the prehospital notification

system,” explained Smith.

EMS Captain Ray Triccario was

the first person to respond to TJ’s call

for help. He hadn’t received the

updated information; however, the 

9-1-1 dispatcher had, and informed

responding units that there was

information in their computer that

the boy be flown to CNMC in the

event of an emergency.

“When flight paramedics arrived

at the scene, the mother requested to

go along on the flight,” said Captain

Triccario. “Her request was granted

because paramedics had prior EMS

notification of TJ’s chronic illness.” 

As the helicopter was crossing

the DC tidal basin, the flight medic

lifted TJ’s head so he could see the

city lights. TJ died two weeks later. 

“His mother was grateful for the

CNMC program and said it allowed

her to take her last flight with her

son,” said Smith. “She also said it

gave her great comfort knowing that

EMS knew about TJ’s problems in

advance.” 

For more information about

CNMC’s program, contact Betsy Smith

at elsmith@cnmc.org.

although health care providers are

familiar with the EIF and other notification tools, there is still a growing

need to help facilitate the utilization

of such resources.

Many states, such as Minnesota,

Tennessee, Alaska, and Wisconsin, as

well as the District of Columbia are

integrating the EIF into their emergency medical services (EMS) system.

Other states may not be utilizing the

EIF but have similar programs that will

ensure that a child’s medical history is

available when needed the most. 

The EMSC National Resource

Center tracks CSHCN notification initiatives, as well as other programs

designed to assist emergency care

providers in treating children with

special needs. Information about each

state’s activities is available by calling

Ms. Wayne Neal, CSHCN specialist, at

(202) 884-6890. 

Utilization Helps Providers,

Parents

The Children with Special Health

Care Needs Project at Children’s

National Medical Center (CNMC) in

Washington, DC, has had its notification program in place for more than a

year. “About 420 children are enrolled

in the program,” said Betsy Smith,

CSHCN project director for CNMC.

“The program has had a substantial

effect on staff as well as community.”

To help illustrate this impact, she

recently shared the following story

with EMSC News.

TJ, a child with special health

care needs, was one of the first people enrolled in the hospital’s CSHCN

program. In October 2000, CNMC

contacted TJ’s mother to update his

medical information and found that

he needed a heart transplant. His

mother requested he be flown by

4 EMSC News MAY/JINE 2001
The editors of EMSC News want to

make sure you don’t miss a single

issue. If you have recently moved or

the contact person for your organization has changed, please let us

know by completing the below

EMSC News Subscription Update

Request and mailing it to: Leslie

Green, Communications Assistant,

EMSC National Resource Center,

111 Michigan Avenue, NW, 

Washington, DC 20010.

Have You Moved?

EMSC News 

Subscription

Update Request

Current Subscription 

Information

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T

wo Emergency Medical Services

for Children (EMSC) regional

meetings are scheduled to take

place this summer: the Intermountain

Regional EMSC Coordinating Council

(IRECC), to be held August 16-29, in

Big Sky, MT, and the Center of America

Regional EMSC (CARE) meeting, to be

held September 6-7, in St. Louis, MO.

IRECC draws child health care

advocates, educators, administrators,

and local and state EMSC representatives from Arizona, Colorado, Idaho,

Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah,

and Wyoming. The CARE meeting covers Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky,

Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio,

and Wisconsin. If you live or work in

one of these states and would like

more information about these or

future meetings, contact IRECC’s Teri

Sanddal at tsanddal@citmt.org or

CARE’s Diana Fendya at

dfendya@ssmhc.com.

The EMSC Program began funding

region meetings in 1994 to provide

states the opportunity to assemble,

network, and share experiences. These

meetings also help to educate the

pediatric community about current

EMSC topics and priorities.

In addition to IRECC and the

CARE meeting, the EMSC Program

funds region meetings in the Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast. Descriptions and contact information for each

are provided below.

Southeastern Regional 

EMSC Meeting 

Meeting date: held each spring

Participating states: Alabama, 

Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, 

Mississippi, North Carolina, 

South Carolina, and Tennessee

Contact: Susan Hohenhaus at

sue.hohenhaus@ncmail.net

Heartland EMS for Children 

Coalition Regional Meeting 

Meeting date: held each spring

Participating states: Iowa, Kansas,

Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota,

South Dakota, and Wyoming

Contact: Shelly Arnold at

sarnold@state.nd.us

New England EMSC 

Regional Meeting

Meeting date: held each fall

Participating states: Connecticut,

Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont

Contact: Patrick Malone at

pmalone@zoo.uvm.edu

EMSC Regional Meeting Update

Mark your calendars!

cut here

Printed with permission from Steve Berry.

EMSC News MAY/JUNE 2001 5
Schmidt, committee chair for STAT, at

(202) 466-0540 or eschmidt@edc.org.

Who runs the STAT program?

STAT was created and is administered by the State and Territorial

Injury Prevention Director’s Association (STIPDA), a national nonprofit

organization of professionals committed to protecting the health of the public by sustaining, enhancing, and promoting the ability of state, territorial,

and local health departments to reduce

death and disability associated with

injuries. In pursuit of this mission,

STIPDA engages in activities to

increase awareness of injury as a public health problem; enhance the capacity of public health agencies to conduct injury prevention and control

programs; and support public health

policies designed to advance injury

prevention and control.

For additional information about

STAT, membership in STIPDA, or to

request or participate in a STAT visit,

contact Schmidt or David Scharf, 

executive director for STIPDA, at

(770) 690-9000 or stipda@mindspring.com.

STAT: Enhancing Injury Prevention Programs in States

I

n 2000, a new initiative known

simply as STAT (State Technical

Assessment Team) was established

to help states develop and enhance

their injury prevention and control

programs. Since that time, four states

have benefited from a STAT visit.

Many more states are awaiting their

turn. In fact, the initiative is so successful that states are now required to

apply for STAT assistance. Listed

below are several frequently asked

questions about STAT and their

answers. 

What is STAT?

State Technical Assessment Team,

or STAT, is a group of five or six injury

prevention professionals who visit a

state to assess the status of injury prevention programs and to make recommendations for improvement. 

What components of injury prevention programs does STAT assess?

The assessment focuses on the

five core components of a successful

state health department injury prevention program, as outlined in the publication SAFE STATES: Five Components of a Model State Injury Prevention Program & Three Phases of Program Development. These components include data collection and

analysis; program design, implementation, and evaluation; coordination and

collaboration; technical support and

training; and public policy. STAT also

reviews each state’s program

resources.

How do states benefit from a

STAT visit?

STAT provides participating states

with an outside perspective on their

strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. The process often serves to refocus a state’s activities. STAT also

brings different members of the injury

prevention community together, providing an opportunity to strategize

ideas, tackle barriers, and share success stories.

How does a state request a STAT

visit?

The intention is to involve as

many states as possible in the STAT

process. However, as with all initiatives, funding is limited. Because the

number of states requesting STAT visits outnumbers the available support,

an application process is required. To

obtain an application, contact Ellen

Roving Reporter

James Broselow, MD, and Cindy Doyle,

MA, RN, BSN, take turns presenting information during the Color-coding: Enhancing

Pediatric Patient Safety meeting, held January 30-31, 2001, at the Jury’s Doyle Hotel

in Washington, DC.

6 EMSC News MAY/JINE 2001
••••••••• ••••••••• •••••••••PUBLIC POLICY NETWORK•••••••••• •••••••••• ••••••••••

During the past several months,

the Emergency Medical Services for Children National

Resource Center has fielded several

calls concerning the federal budget

and how government funds are allocated each year. For your convenience,

described below are the three fiscal

processes Congress uses to distribute

the resources of the federal government: authorization, appropriations,

and budget.

• The authorization process establishes federal tax laws and other

policies and creates federal programs to respond to national needs.

Authorizing legislation also may

make recommendations concerning

the proper spending level for a program or agency. The Senate has 14

authorizing committees and the

House has 17 authorizing committees that have jurisdiction over particular areas of national concern.

• The appropriations process provides for the funding of federal government agencies and federal programs. The Senate and House each

have a Committee on Appropriations with 13 subcommittees.

• The budget process establishes an

overall fiscal policy on total spending and revenue and determines

how total spending should be divided among the major functions of

government, such as agriculture,

defense, health, and so forth. The

Senate and House each have a Committee on Budget, and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) supports

the process by providing economic

and program analyses and cost

information on existing and proposed federal programs.

To begin, Congress needs to know

what the executive branch believes is

necessary to fund the operations of

the federal government. Early each

year, therefore, the President is

required to submit to Congress the

Administration’s budget request for

the upcoming fiscal year that begins

the following October 1.

In the early spring, the Senate

and House Budget Committees, using

the President’s budget request, information from their hearings, views and

estimates from other committees, and

CBO reports, draft a budget plan,

known as the concurrent resolution on

the budget or the budget resolution. In

addition to containing budget totals—

total spending, total revenues, and the

resulting deficit or surplus—and

spending broken down by budget function, the budget resolution can include

a procedure known as reconciliation

that directs authorizing committees to

change existing law. In general, under

the reconciliation procedure, Congress

directs its committees to report legislation that decreases spending or

increases revenues by a specified

PUBLIC POLICY NETWORK

amount by making changes in laws

within the committees’ respective

jurisdictions.

In the Spring and Summer, after

Congress has adopted a budget plan, it

proceeds to work on annual spending

or appropriations bills, tax bills, and

any reconciliation legislation mandated by the budget resolution. The

appropriations bills are a series of

measures that, together, fund federal

operations for a fiscal year (October 1

to September 30). There is one appropriations bill for each of the 13 subcommittees of the Senate and House

Appropriations Committees. Total

spending approved in the budget resolution is allocated among the 13

appropriations subcommittees. 

The House claims the exclusive

right to originate appropriations

bills—a claim the Senate denies in

theory, but accepts in practice. Consequently, the Senate Committee on

Appropriations usually waits for the

arrival of a bill passed by the House

and then reports it with whatever

amendments it chooses. The target for

action on these bills in the House is

June 30 and in the Senate is September 30. When action is not complete

on one or more of the 13 appropriations bills by the start of the new fiscal year, Congress may enact a continuing resolution to provide appropriations on a temporary basis.

EMSC News MAY/JUNE 2001 7
tact for issues related to acute care,

practice guidelines, patient safety,

and hospital categorization. Fendya

teleworks from St. Louis, MO, were

she previously served as the Missouri

EMSC coordinator. Fendya can be

reached at (202) 884-6867 or

dfendya@emscnrc.com.

Susan Eads Role, JD, MSLS,

joined the EMSC National Resource

Center earlier this year. She is

responsible for managing public policy activities and coordinating the

Partnership for Children consortium.

She also provides technical assistance

to federally funded EMSC projects

about issues related to public policy

for children’s health within the state’s

emergency medical services system.

Before joining EMSC, Role worked in

the office of Congresswoman Julia

Carson on Capitol Hill, where she

held several positions, including

deputy chief of staff and legislative

director. Role can be reached at (202)

884-6874 or serole@emscnrc.com.

As the new communications

manager, Millree Williams directs the

T

he Emergency Medical Services

for Children (EMSC) National

Resource Center is pleased to

announce that five new staff members

have joined its team: Yvonnada

Cousins, Diane Fendya, Susan Eads

Role, Millree Williams, and Rhonda

Willingham.

Yvonnada Cousins serves as the

EMSC National Resource Center’s new

meeting planner. She and Ken Allen

will coordinate the National Congress

on Childhood Emergencies and Annual EMSC Grantee Meeting. In addition,

Cousins will be responsible for planning more than 20 internal task force

and committee meetings. Cousins

joins EMSC from J & E Associates,

where she coordinated meetings on

behalf of the National Health Service

Corps. Cousins can be reached 

at (202)884-8280 or 

ycousins@emscnrc.com.

Diane Fendya, MSN (R), RN, fulfills a new position at the EMSC

National Resource Center—emergency

medical services (EMS) specialist. As

such she is the Center’s primary conCenter’s national, regional, and local

communication efforts. He also will

maintain the EMSC web site, market

the National Congress, and support

EMSC grantee efforts to promote EMSC

activities through statewide media

events and public awareness initiatives.

He has more then 20 years experience

in strategic healthcare and education

communications. Williams can be

reached at (202) 884-6843 or

mwilliam@emscnrc.com.

This past December, Rhonda

Willingham, MA, joined the EMSC

National Resource Center as its communications specialist. In this capacity, she is responsible for developing

relationships with the national, trade,

and local media outlets and assisting

Williams in writing press releases,

publications, and other promotional

materials to enhance the visibility of

the EMSC Program. Prior to joining

EMSC, Willingham was employed at

Erickson Retirement Communities’

Greenspring Village, where she was

responsible for special events and

media and community outreach. 

Willingham can be reached at

(202)884-6871 or

rwilling@emscnrc.com.

EMSC Welcomes New National Center Staff

AAP Develops Ken Graff Emergency Medicine Research Award

Anew pediatric emergency medicine research award has beenestablished by the American

Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) Section

on Emergency Medicine in memory of

Ken Graff, MD, to promote and support young investigators in their pursuit of quality pediatric emergency

research. Fellows and assistant professors in pediatrics will be encouraged

to apply for the $10,000 grant through

a competitive grant application

process. Proposals will be solicited

through section correspondence,

newsletters, and collaborative emergency

medicine organizations, such as the

Emergency Medical Services for Children

(EMSC) Program.

Dr. Graff, a member of AAP’s Section

on Emergency Medicine, was a talented

young pediatric emergency physician and

investigator who died recently as a result

of a tragic accident. His accomplishments

include receiving the 1994 AAP Willis

Wingert Award for outstanding research

on the sedation of pediatric patients with

orthopedic injuries and a prestigious

EMSC federal grant for the study of sedation and analgesia.

The AAP Section on Emergency

Medicine has established the Ken Graff

Emergency Medicine Research Award

Endowment Fund to ensure the future

distribution of the award. “Our goal is

to raise $100,000, which will enable

AAP to grant the award once every two

years at the AAP Annual Meeting held

each Fall,” said Susan Tellez, manager

of AAP’s Division of Hospital Surgical

Services. “Section members have

already contributed more than

$57,000 and are actively searching for

companies to match this donation.” 

For more information about the

grant or how to apply for grant funding, contact Tellez at stellez@aap.org.

8 EMSC News MAY/JINE 2001
••••••••• ••••••••• •••••••••EMSC SYSTEMS SCOOP ••••••••• ••••••••• •••••••••

E

MSC News editors recently asked

a first-time mother about the

safety issues that concerned her

most during the summer months. Her

answer was both enlightening and

shocking. Enlightening because she

expressed the desire to know about

seasonal issues that could affect her

son. Shocking because this mom –

who is not unlike many of the mothers

the emergency medical services for

children (EMSC) family encounters

every day – was unaware of common

safety precautions. 

Many of the issues some of us

have personally experienced or

encountered on the job are foreign

concepts for new parents or caregivers.

We must remember that part of our

responsibility is to pass on this knowledge and expertise. 

As we move into the summer season, take extra measures to educate

the community about these hot weather safety topics: 

Hypothermia/Overheating 

Too little or too much heat can

have potentially damaging effects on a

small child. Bright sunshine and warm

nights stimulate us to think about

summer. While these benefits of warm

weather are nice to enjoy, caution

must be exercised with newborns and

infants. Their normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees. Despite feelings

of warmth to the adult, the outside

temperature can continue to be less

than 80 degrees. That’s nearly 20

degrees lower than normal body temperature. A young child may not be

able to generate enough body heat to

make up the difference and become

hypothermic. Early signs and symptoms of hypothermia are irritability,

slurred speech, and shivering. Keep

the infant dressed in appropriate layers and wrapped in a warm dry blanket with their head covered. 

As the days grow hotter, care

must also be given to prevent the

child from over heating. Excessive

clothing and wraps can cause the

child’s temperature to rise without the

ability for them to cool off. Remember, never leave a child in a vehicle

unattended. The temperature inside

a closed vehicle can reach more than

100 degrees and be fatal to any child

left inside. 

Drowning 

Children have a great affinity for

adventure, but lack any sense of danger. Toddlers can find amazing interest in the smallest bodies of water. In

addition to swimming pools, lakes,

and streams, buckets, toilets, bathtubs, and decorative fishing ponds are

a few of the containers that pose a

threat to children. Buckets and tubs

should be emptied. Toilet lids should

be kept shut. Swimming pools and

other outside water hazards need to

be fully fenced with self-closing and

latching mechanisms. Remember,

never leave a child alone near any

body of water.

Poisoning 

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers,

88.7% of poisonings occur in or

around the home. Summer brings

EMSC SYSTEMS SCOOP

with it an increase use of suntan

lotions, pool cleaners, weed killers,

and bug sprays—all of which are

potential hazards to children. Common plants, such as AloeVera, Amaryllis, Azalea, Chrysanthemum, Mums,

Dieffenbachia or Dumb cane, English

Ivy, Morning Glory, and Philodendron,

can also be dangerous if ingested by a

young child. Remember, most anything can be a poison, including vitamins, if taken in excess.

Choking 

Infants and toddlers explore their

environment by placing anything that

meets the hand into the mouth.

Never leave small objects within the

child’s reach. If they find it, it will go

into their mouth, and the potential of

choking is increased. Two of the most

common summertime pediatric airway

obstructers are hot dogs and peanuts.

These popular, lightweight finger foods

can be life threatening if a child

inhales and a piece of hot dog or the

peanut is sucked into their airway. 

Finally, think like a child – everything is an adventure, everything

needs to be explored. What can you

find on the floor, under the couch, or

in the other room? The electrical outlets, the curtain cords, the heat registers, and old chipping paint are all

things that we see everyday, but from

a different perspective. 

For more information on ways to

safe proof your home and yard, read

How to Prevent and Handle Childhood Emergencies, which is available

as a downloadable document from the

EMSC web site at www.ems-c.org.

EMSC News MAY/JUNE 2001 9
h

q

O

Illinois

On March 2, 2001, the Illinois

Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program held its Illinois

EMSC Educational Session/Luncheon,

an annual event that brings together

numerous individuals within the state

to share their expertise by serving on

EMSC committees, reviewing EMSC

standards and guidelines, conducting

pediatric educational programs, volunteering as emergency department site

surveyors, and serving as advocates for

EMSC. Guest speaker Mirean Coleman, MSW, of the National Association

of Social Workers spoke on the topic

of bereavement guidelines in the

emergency care setting. For more

information about this and future

meetings, contact Evelyn Lyons at

elyons@wpo.it.luc.edu.

New York

The Center for Pediatric Emergency Medicine is in its second year of

the National Child Protection EducaS

tate of the States

•

Gr

a

ntee Up ad oC et nr er

•

S

tate of the States

•

Gr

a

ntee Up ad oC et nr er

•

m

tion Project. More than 2,000 emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and

paramedics have responded to the

national survey on child abuse and

neglect recognition, treatment, and

reporting. More responses are expected. A conference to create the Child

Abuse and Neglect Educational Blueprint is being scheduled for Fall 2001.

The Paramedic TRIPP (Teaching

Resource for Instructors in Prehospital

Pediatrics) core chapters, consistent

with American Hospital Association

guidelines, can be found on the Center’s web site at www.cpem.org. 

For more information about either

of these topics, contact Marsha Treiber

at mt31@nyu.edu.

Oregon

The Oregon EMSC program is

using the Saving Kids’ Lives CD-ROMs

that were distributed nationwide last

Fall to provide continuing education to

EMTs at the paramedic, intermediate,

and basic levels. The program is

becoming so popular that Oregon is

r

considering placing the content of the

CD on its web site for easier access. 

Oregon also reports that on 

June 1, 2001, it will be holding the

EMSC Clinical Conference, a two-day

meeting targeting physicians, nurses,

and EMTs. Mary Jagin, RN, president

of the National Emergency Nurses

Association will serve as keynote

speaker. For more information about

this conference, contact Fred Neis 

at (503) 731-4011 or visit the web 

site www.ohd.hr.state.or.us/ems/

welcome.htm.

South Dakota

South Dakota EMSC will be providing its first Advanced Pediatric Life

Support Course (APLS) for physicians

July 13-14, 2001, at the University of

South Dakota School of Medicine. The

South Dakota chapter of the American

Academy of Pediatrics will cosponsor

the course.

Training in Pediatric Education

for Prehospital Professionals (PEPP)

continues with three advanced life

support and six basic life support

courses yet to be completed at various

sites across the state. Instructor courses haven already been conducted in

Chamberlain and on the Rosebud

Sioux Indian Reservation.

For more information, contact

Dave Boer at (605) 333-6652 or

boerd@siouxvalley.org

Tennessee

Tennessee reports that it has

established a new 501(c)3 organization, the Children’s Emergency Care

Alliance. The Alliance’s primary goal is

to work with the state Committee on

Pediatric Emergency Care to expand

EMSC resources throughout the state.

The Board of Directors for the Alliance

is composed of a diverse group of professionals from the business, con10 EMSC News MAY/JINE 2001
w

STATISTIC OF IMPORTANCE

Rate of Child Injury Death in the 1970s and 1990s

The longer bars show annual injury deaths per 100,000 children aged 1 to 14 in 1971-75 (the basis for the ranking) and

the shorter bars show the rates in 1991-95

Statistic of Importance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Source: A League Table of Child Deaths by Injury in Rich Nations. Innocenti Report

Card No.2, February 2001. UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Florence, Italy.

v

sumer/family, fundraising, legal, marketing, and medical communities.

Rhonda Phillippi will serve as its executive director. For more information,

contact Phillippi at Rhonda.Phillippi@mcmail.vanderbilt.edu.

Virginia

Virginia reports that it is working

on the following activities:

• hosting PEPP coordinator and Managing School Emergencies courses; 

• supporting injury prevention activities of local emergency medical services (EMS) agencies;

• helping to implement Risk Watch in

Virginia schools;

• assisting the Office of EMS in planning the 2001 EMS Symposium;

• completing a survey about disaster

and emergency preparedness of

schools; and

• updating the Pediatric Morbidity and

Mortality Report, which details

injury death data, injury hospitalization discharge data, and crash files

for the EMS regions of the Commonwealth. 

For more information, contact

Petra Menzel at pmenzel@hsc.vcu.edu

Washington

The Washington State EMSC web

site just went on-line! You can locate

the site at www.washingtonemsc.org.

The site is designed to provide information and resources to pediatric

health care providers (hospital and

prehospital), parents, and other health

and social service professionals serving

families. The site contains a plethora

of information you may find useful.

Check it out and use the evaluation

form to send your feedback! For more

information, contact Sheri Reder at

sreder@chmc.org

EMSC News MAY/JUNE 2001 11
••••WHAT HAT’SS NEW? An EMSC Product Update An EMSC Product Update An EMSC Product Update••••

EMTALA and the Prudent

Layperson in Emergency

Medical Services for Children

(Reprint)

by the EMSC National Resource 

Center (2000)

This addition to the White Paper

Series examines the definition of a

medical emergency through a critical

analysis of legislation governing the

definition of emergency and provisions for appropriate use of emergency care. It also discusses the

implications for children in managed

care and suggested approaches for

reducing problems encountered while

establishing appropriate use of emergency services under managed care.

This reprint is available free of

charge. Request product #873.

Development and Implementation of EMS-C: A Step by Step

Approach (CD-ROM)

by the State of California Emergency

Medical Services Authority (2000)

This resource offers time-tested

suggestions, recommendations, and

referrals to assist local emergency

medical service (EMS) agencies in

enhancing emergency medical care

for children. According to the developers, the key to any pediatric program is building on the experience of

others and collaborating with the

many agencies and organizations concerned about the care of children.

The cost for the CD is $5. Ask for

product #872.

EMSC PRODUCT UPDATE

The Impact of Managed Care on

Access to Emergency Services:

An Analysis of Managed Care

Contracts of State Medicaid and

Federal Employee Health

Benefit Plans (Reprint)

by the EMSC National Resource 

Center (2000)

This White Paper analyzes contract provisions affecting emergency

services in two contexts: Medicaid

managed care contracts developed

between state Medicaid agencies and

managed care organizations and managed care contracts arising under the

Federal Employees Health Benefit

Plan. These purchasers were chosen

because they reflect practices that

deal with very different populations

with different health needs and access

to care. This reprint is available free

of charge. Request product #874.

To obtain hard copies of any of

these resources, contact the EMSC

Clearinghouse at (703) 902-1203 or

access the online order form located

on the EMSC web site at www.emsc.org. Once there, click on “Products

and Resources.

Children with a Regular Healthcare Provider

Less Likely to Visit ED 

According to a report published

in the March issue of Pediatrics, continuity of primary

care lowers the risk that children will

be taken to the emergency department

(ED) or be hospitalized. 

Dimitri Christakis, MD, of the

Child Health Institute at the University of Washington and colleagues evaluated continuity of care among

46,097 patients 17 years of age and

younger who had made at least four

visits to a single health maintenance

organization. The investigators calculated an index of continuity of care

related to total number of visits,

number of visits to a specific

provider, and number of providers. 

Those in the lowest tertile of

continuity were 58% more likely to

have visited the ED and 54% more

likely to be hospitalized than those in

the highest tertile. The benefit of

consistent contact with their own primary care physician was more pronounced for children with asthma.

Correctiom Notice

In the March/April 2001 issue of

EMSC News we accidentally omitted

one of the agencies that participated in

the Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical Services for Children

joint program announcement. The

statement should have read as follows:

“The committee is composed of

research program staff from several

federal agencies, including those who

participated in the program announcement: HRSA, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and five of the National Institutes

of Health.”

12 EMSC News MAY/JINE 2001
According to a recently released

report by the U.S. Department

of Commerce’s Census Bureau,

85% of 6- to 11-year-old children have

rules about the types of television programs they watch at home, 42% of

children 12 to 17 years old participate

in sports activities, and 65% of children ages 3 to 5 are currently in or

have been in organized child care.

“This is the first time the Census

Bureau has looked at how kids are

spending their days,” said Jason Fields,

one of the authors of A Child’s Day:

Home, School and Play, which is

based on 1994 data. “Decisions that

families make about their children’s

daily activities are important, since

many will affect their children’s success

over time.”

According to the report: 

• Children ages 6 to 11 are subject to

more television rules than older

children. While 60% of them have

rules about the types of programs,

numbers of hours, and time of day

they can watch television, only 40%

of children ages 12 to 17 follow such

rules.

• About 75% of 12- to 17-year-old

children who participated in an

extracurricular activity are on track

academically (that is, in the grade at

school expected for their age), compared with 60% of children in this

age group who did not participate in

such activities.

• About 32% of 3- to 5- year-old children started some type of nonparental child care by the time

they were 3 months old, and nearly

half (47%) had been in some type of

regular child-care arrangement by

their first birthday. On average,

children younger than 3 years old

spent 30 hours per week in their

first child-care arrangement.

• Nearly half of the 3- to 5-year-old

children (47%) were read to seven

or more times per week. About 9%

of children in this age group were

not read to at all in the week prior

to the survey.

The report is based on data from

interviews conducted in late 1994

with parents in a sample of households selected in 1992 and 1993 as

part of the Survey of Income and Program Participation. To obtain a copy

of the report, go to www.census.gov/

population/socdemo/child/p70-68.pdf.

Census Bureau Releases Report on Daily

Activities of Children

Are children in your state or

city required to wear a bicycle

helmet? Many states, such as

Alabama, California, Connecticut,

Delaware, Florida, Georgia,

Maryland, Massachusetts, New

Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and West Virginia, have

“age-specific” bicycle laws.

Check with the local law enforcement office to see if there is a

law in your community. 

This Summer Think Bicycle Safety

F

or many people, especially children, summer means a shift in

activities from inside to outside;

and bicycling is a very popular choice.

• Did you know that more than one

fourth of the bicyclists killed in traffic crashes in 1999 were between 5

and 15 years old?

• Did you know it takes years for

children to gain the judgment, balance, skill, and knowledge they

need to ride safely?

• Did you know setting a good example by obeying traffic rules and

wearing a helmet has been proven

as one of the most effective ways to

encourage a child to do the same?

Celebrate summer by holding a

bicycle safety event for children in

your community, and involve as many

help make your activity successful. 

Be active! Remember, if we can

teach bike riders to avoid painful mistakes, we all win! Help someone develop safe biking habits for life! For more

information on bicycle safety or bicycle

safety materials, contact Laurie Flaherty

in NHTSA’s Office of Communications

and Outreach at (202) 366-2705. 

groups and

organizations

as possible. Some ideas for events

include bicycle helmet fittings, bike

safety demonstrations, bike safety

checkups, and bike rodeos or bike

skills development workshops. Involve

children by hanging posters in schools

or distributing safety materials at

libraries, grocery stores, and other

public areas. For other creative ideas

contact the League of American Bicyclists, the Bicycle Federation of America, the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, the Consumer Product Safety

Commission, the National SAFE KIDS

Campaign, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),

and the National Safety Council.

Many organizations also provide free

materials or technical assistance to

EMSC News MAY/JUNE 2001 13
Bernardo, Lisa Marie; Henker,

Richard; and O’Connor, Joan. “Treatment of Trauma-Associated Hypothermia in Children: Evidence-Based

Practice.” American Journal of Critical Care. 9, No. 4 (2000): 227-34.

Committee on School Health,

American Academy of Pediatrics.

“Guidelines for Emergency Medical

Care in School.” Pediatrics. 107, No.

2 (2001): 435-36.

Flores, Glenn; Abreu, Milagros;

Schwartz, Ilan; and Hill, Maria. “The

Importance of Language and Culture

in Pediatric Care: Case Studies from

the Latino Community.” Journal of

Pediatrics. 137, No. 6 (2000): 842-48.

Gielen, Andrea; Wilson, Modena;

McDonald, Eileen; Serwint, Janet;

Andrews, John; Hwang, Wei-Ting; and

Wang, Mei-Cheng. “Randomized Trial

of Enhanced Anticipatory Guidance

for Injury Prevention.” Archives of

Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

155, No. 1 (2001): 42-49.

Glaser, Nicole; Barnett, Peter;

McCaslin, Ian; Nelson, David; Trainor,

Jennifer; Louie, Jeffrey; Kaufman,

Francine; Quayle, Kimberly; Roback,

Mark; Malley, Richard; and Kuppermann, Nathan. “Risk Factors for Cerebral Edema in Children With Diabetic

Ketoacidosis.” The New England Journal of Medicine. 344, No. 4 (2001):

264-69.

Golden, Neville; Seigel, Warren;

Fisher, Martin; Schneider, Marcie; Quijano, Emilyn; Suss, Amy; Bergeson,

Rachel; Seitz, Michele; and Saunders,

Deborah. “Emergency Contraception:

Pediatricians’ Knowledge, Attitudes,

and Opinions.” Pediatrics. 107, No. 2

(2001): 287-92.

Gorelick, Marc; Lee, Chistopher;

Cronan, Kathleen; Kost, Susanne; and

Palmer, Kathleen. “Pediatric Emergency Assessment Tool (PEAT): A

Risk-Adjustment Measure for Pediatric

••••••••• ••••••••• •••••••••LATEST LIBRARY ADDITIONS DDITIONS DDITIONS••••••••• ••••••••• •••••••••

Emergency Patients.” Academic

Emergency Medicine. 8, No. 2 (2001):

156-62.

Katz, Steven and Falk, Jay. “Misplaced Endotracheal Tubes by Paramedics in an Urban Emergency Medical Services System.” Annals of

Emergency Medicine. 37, No. 1

(2001): 32-37.

Kendall, Jason; Reeves, Barnaby;

and Latter, Victoria. “Multicentre

Randomised Controlled Trial of Nasal

Diamorphine for Analgesia in Children and Teenagers with Clinical

Fractures.” British Medical Journal.

322, No. 7281 (2001): 261-65.

Klein, Jonathan; Allan, Marjorie;

Elster, Arthur; Stevens, David; Cox,

Christopher; Hedberg, Viking; and

Goodman, Rita. “Improving Adolescent Preventive Care in Community

Health Center.” Pediatrics. 107, No. 2

(2001): 318-27.

Luhmann, Jan; Kennedy, Robert;

Porter, Fran Lang; Miller, J. Philip;

and Jaffe, David. “A Randomized

Clinical Trial of Continuous Flow

Nitrous Oxide and Midazolam for

Sedation of Young Children During Laceration Repair.” Annals of Emergency

Medicine. 37, No. 1 (2001): 20-27.

Osler, Turner; Vane, Dennis;

Tepas, Joseph; Rogers, Frederick;

Shackford, Steven; and Badger, Gary.

“Do Pediatric Trauma Centers Have

Better Survival Rates Than Adult

Trauma Centers? An Examination of

the National Pediatric Trauma Registry.” The Journal of TRAUMA

Injury, Infection, and Critical Care.

50, No. 1 (2001): 96-101.

Perron, Andrew; Sing, Ronald;

and Huynh, Toan. “Predicting Survival in Pediatric Trauma Patients

Receiving Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in the Prehospital Setting.” 

Prehospital Emergency Care. 5, No. 1

(2001): 6-9.

LATEST LIBRARY ADDITIONS

Rhoades Smucker, Jeanne. “Managed Care and Children with Special

Health Care Needs.” Journal of Pediatric Health Care. 15, No. 1 (2001): 3-9.

Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane; Piacentini, John; Cantwell, Coleen;

Belin, Thomas; and Song, Juwon.

“The 18-Month Impact of an Emergency Room Intervention for Adolescent Female Suicide Attempters.”

Journal of Consulting and Clinical

Psychology. 68, No. 6 (2000): 1081-93.

Seid, Michael; Varni, James; and

Kurtin, Paul. “Measuring Quality of

Care for Vulnerable Children: Challenges and Conceptualization of a

Pediatric Outcome Measure of Quality.” American Journal of Medical

Quality. 15, No. 4 (2000): 182-88.

Spaite, Daniel; Karriker, Katherine; Seng, Marsha; Conroy, Carol;

Battaglia, Norma; Tibbitts, Mark;

Meislin, Harvey; Salik, Ronald; and

Balenzuela, Terence. “Increasing

Paramedics’ Comfort and Knowledge

About Children With Special Health

Care Needs.” American Journal of

Emergency Medicine. 18, No. 7

(2000): 747-52.

Ylvisaker, Mark; Todis, Bonnie;

Glang, Ann; Urbanczyk, Beth;

Franklin, Cecilia; Depompei, Roberta;

Feeney, Timothy; Maher Maxwell,

Nancy; Pearson, Sue; and Siantz

Tyler, Janet. “Educating Students

with TBI: Themes and Recommendations.” Journal of Head Trauma

Rehabilitation. (2001): 76-92.

If any interesting publication or

product (written or produced within

the last 18 months) has crossed your

desk that you would like to share,

please contact the EMSC National

Resource Center Medical Librarian,

Kathryn Willis, at (202) 884-6835 or

via e-mail at kwillis@emscnrc.com

14 EMSC News MAY/JINE 2001
News from NEDARC

Wouldn’t it be nice to know

your state’s response times

and the trends they indicate? Do you want to know if

providers think the educational programs you’re offering are useful? The

National EMSC Data Analysis

Resource Center (NEDARC) can help

you answer these questions. 

NEDARC’s goal is to provide

Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) grantees and emergency

medical services (EMS) agencies the

tools needed to develop EMS data systems and then put that data to good

use. NEDARC’s team of statisticians,

researchers, computer professionals,

and other data specialists can help

collect, analyze, and communicate

In Memory of Keith Neely

On January 28, 2001, Keith

William Neely, an advocate

for emergency medical services for children (EMSC) who helped

modernize and humanize Oregon’s

emergency medical services (EMS)

system, died of melanoma. He was 51.

Neely served as director of system development for EMS at Oregon

Health Sciences University (OHSU).

During his tenure at OHSU, he also

served as coordinator and operations

director for the Emergency Communications Center (ECC), which provides

medical advice from emergency physicians at OHSU Hospital to paramedics

at the emergency scene. Under his

leadership, ECC grew from a single

radio unit into a sophisticated system.

Neely is also credited with helping to develop a concept for an online monitoring system (Computer

Hospital On-line Resource Allocation

Link, or CHORAL) that allows hospitals

to divert ambulances according to available resources. The idea has been

copied in many large cities.

In addition to these technological

strides, he helped establish the Oregon

Critical Response Team, a stress management program that provides counseling to emergency workers; served as a

panelist for the EMS Agenda for the

Future Implementation Guide; and

served as the first nonphysician board

member of the National Association of

EMS Physicians.

Those within the EMSC community

best remember Neely for his work on

the 2001-2005 Five-year Plan. His

invaluable insight will help propel EMSC

into the 21st century. He also played a

major role in the development of

EMSC’s white paper on managed care

reimbursement and, most recently,

conducted a pilot project to determine

whether firefighters and paramedics

could identify and enroll children in

the State Child Health Insurance Program.

Neely published two novels, The

Street Dancer, in 1990, and Memories

of the Dance, in 1999. Both books are

based on his experiences as a paramedic. He also authored numerous

articles that appeared in several emergency medicine journals, and served

on the editorial board of Prehospital

Emergency Care.

He received a master’s degree in

public administration from Portland

State University in 1988 and recently

received a doctorate in public administration and policy at the same institution.

data so that the programs and health

care you provide can be improved for

everyone.

Sign Up for NEDARC’s Data

Workshops 

NEDARC held two general data

workshops this past January in Atlanta

and Chicago. Topics of discussion

included data collection, statistics,

probabilistic linkage, and quality

improvement. Grantees who have not

had the opportunity to attend a

NEDARC workshop this year—a new

requirement for all federally

funded EMSC grant programs—have three more

chances. The first data workshop will be held May 11, in

St. Louis, MO, the second on

August 3, in Portland, OR, and the

third on September 14, in Providence,

RI. Sign up soon before space fills up!

If you have specific topics that need to

be addressed, let NEDARC know so

your needs can be met. 

NEDARC Holds Advisory Board

Meeting

In February, NEDARC held its

first-ever Advisory Board Meeting. The

board—composed of EMSC administrators, coordinators, and data professionals—met in Salt Lake City, UT, to

identify ways in which NEDARC can

better serve EMSC. 

For more information about

NEDARC or to register for a

data workshop, call 

(801) 581-6410 or visit rhttp://nedarc.med.utah.edu.

NEDARC

EMSC News MAY/JUNE 2001 15
EMSC News MAY/JINE 2001

EMSC National Resource Center

Children’s National Medical Center

111 Michigan Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC 20010

2001

May

Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month

Asthma and Allergy 

Foundation of America

Contact: Colleen Horn at 

(202) 466-7643

May

National Teen Pregnancy 

Prevention Month

Advocates for Youth

Contact: Susan Pagliaro at 

(202) 347-5700

May 6-12

National Nurses Week

American Nurses Association

Contact: Lisa Pearl at 

(800) 274-4262

May 7-13

National Suicide Awareness Week

American Association of Suicidology

Contact: Amy Kulp at 

(202) 237-2280

May 8

Childhood Depression Awareness Day

National Mental Health Association

Contact: Tracey Dowtin at

(703) 837-4782

May 20-23

The American Pediatric 

Surgical Association

Annual Meeting

Naples, FL

Contact: Hilary Hitchner at 

(847) 480-9576

May 20-25

American Trauma Society

Annual Conference

Arlington, VA

Contact: Tracy Hanbury at 

(301) 420-4189

May 20-26

National EMS Week 

American College of 

Emergency Physicians

Contact: Lt. Erik Johnson at 

(202) 673-3360, Ext. 6476

May 23

National EMSC Day

Emergency Medical Services

for Children

National Resource Center

Contact: (202) 884-4927

••••••••• IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER ••••••••• ••••••••• IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER ••••••••• ••••••••• IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER •••••••••

n

June 1- July 4

Fireworks Safety Month

Prevent Blindness America

Contact: Alice Kelsey at 

(847) 843-2020

June 10-13

American Association of Health Plans

Annual Conference

Washington, DC

Contact: (202) 778-3200

June 23-25

General Federation of Women’s Clubs

Annual International Convention

Saint Paul, MN

Contact: Natasha Kalteis at

(202) 347-3168

June 27-July 1

National Association of School Nurses

Annual Conference

Phoenix, AZ

Contact: Gloria Durgin at 

(877) 627-6476

PRSRT STD

Postage and

Fees

Paid HRSA

Permit No. G-286

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