Presidential Documents

27919 

Federal Register 

Vol. 75, No. 95 

Tuesday, May 18, 2010 

Title 3— 

The President 

Proclamation 8519 of May 13, 2010 

Emergency Medical Services Week, 2010 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

Every day of the year, at all hours of the day and night, we rely on 

emergency medical services (EMS) professionals and volunteers for critical 

care in our homes, on our roads, in our hospitals, and wherever needs 

exist. EMS teams serve all Americans, standing ready to respond at a moment’s notice, and tirelessly enhancing our country’s preparedness and resilience. During Emergency Medical Services Week, we recommit to supporting 

all EMS providers, and we celebrate their selflessness and courageous contributions to our Nation. 

Our EMS system includes a wide array of dedicated specialists, including 

emergency medical technicians, 9–1–1 dispatchers, paramedics, firefighters, 

law enforcement officials, educators, nurses, and physicians. From rural 

regions of our Nation to our busiest urban centers, EMS teams provide 

access to quality care when unforeseen illness, injury, or disaster strikes. 

The aid they administer cuts across various disciplines and often requires 

split-second decisions, essential to preventing disability or death among 

their fellow citizens. 

My Administration is committed to supporting EMS providers and their 

important mission. The Affordable Care Act, which I signed into law this 

year, authorizes innovative new emergency care and trauma systems, and 

improves and expands EMS for children. It also prohibits insurance companies from imposing prior authorization requirements or increased cost-sharing 

for emergency services. 

EMS providers spend long hours to further their medical education, train 

themselves on the latest life-saving techniques, and maintain vital emergency 

equipment, often choosing to do so on their own time and at their own 

expense. Many communities rely heavily, or even exclusively, on committed 

volunteers to provide out-of-hospital EMS. The role of EMS providers extends 

beyond performing services themselves, however. They also act as instructors 

to train ordinary Americans, because bystanders are often the first to arrive 

at the scene of a crisis. These heroic professionals, volunteers, and citizens 

form a network that has long supported our health care system, and their 

example is an inspiration to us all. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States 

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 

and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 16 through 

May 22, 2010, as Emergency Medical Services Week. I encourage all Americans to observe this occasion with programs and activities to support their 

local EMS workers and to improve their own safety and preparedness skills. 

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27920 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 95 / Tuesday, May 18, 2010 / Presidential Documents 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day 

of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence 

of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth. 

[FR Doc. 2010–12069 

Filed 5–17–10; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 3195–W0–P 


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