I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4290 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Emergency 

Medical Services for Children Program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 25, 2014 

Mr. MATHESON (for himself and Mr. KING of New York) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the 

Emergency Medical Services for Children Program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Wakefield Act of 

5 2014’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) There are approximately 26,000,000 child 

9 and adolescent visits to the Nation’s emergency de10 partments every year. 


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1 (2) Approximately 90 percent of children re2 quiring emergency care are seen in general hospitals, 

3 not in free standing children’s hospitals, with one4 quarter to one-third of the patients being seen in 

5 hospitals with no separate pediatric ward. 

6 (3) Injury and poisoning combined are the most 

7 common reason for pediatric emergency department 

8 visits, accounting for nearly thirty percent of such 

9 visits, while respiratory disorders such as asthma ac10 count for another 26 percent of pediatric emergency 

11 department visits. 

12 (4) Up to one-quarter of children needing emer13 gency care have special health care needs due to un14 derlying medical conditions such as asthma, diabe15 tes, sickle-cell disease, low birth weight, and 

16 Broncho pulmonary dysplasia. 

17 (5) The Emergency Medical Services for Chil18 dren Program under section 1910 of the Public 

19 Health Service Act is the only Federal program that 

20 focuses specifically on improving the pediatric com21 ponents of the emergency medical services (EMS) 

22 system. 

23 (6) The Emergency Medical Services for Chil24 dren Program has, in the past and present, funded 

25 and supported pediatric emergency care improveVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:06 Mar 26, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4290.IH H4290

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1 ment initiatives in every State and United States 

2 Territory to expand and improve emergency care for 

3 children who need treatment for life threatening ill4 nesses and injuries by— 

5 (A) completing the only national assess6 ment of pediatric pre-hospital emergency care 

7 in the Nation; 

8 (B) assessing the access to medical direc9 tion for emergency medical services providers 

10 treating and transporting pediatric patients, ap11 propriate pediatric equipment and supplies on 

12 ambulances to treat children, and availability of 

13 inter-facility transfer agreements and guidelines 

14 designed to expedite the transfer of pediatric 

15 patients to the most appropriate facility; 

16 (C) assuring that Basic and Advance Life 

17 Support providers receive pediatric education to 

18 maintain competencies necessary to treat pedi19 atric patients; and 

20 (D) addressing regionalization of care and 

21 telemedicine that allow for timely transfers or 

22 care delivery to critically ill or injured children 

23 in rural or tribal settings where specialty care 

24 is not readily available. 


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1 (7) The Emergency Medical Services for Chil2 dren Program is celebrating its 30th anniversary, 

3 marking three decades of driving key improvements 

4 in emergency medical services to children, and 

5 should continue its mission to reduce child and 

6 youth morbidity and mortality by supporting im7 provements in the quality of all emergency medical 

8 and emergency surgical care children receive. 

9 SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL 

10 SERVICES FOR CHILDREN PROGRAM. 

11 Section 1910(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 

12 U.S.C. 300w–9(d)) is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal year 

13 2014’’ and inserting ‘‘each of fiscal years 2014 through 

14 2019’’. 

Æ 


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