Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC)

EMSC PECC: PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY CARE COORDINATOR ROLE DESCRIPTION

The mission of the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program is to decrease pediatric morbidity and mortality. The EMSC program works to bring together a variety of organizations and stakeholders, including EMS agencies, emergency departments, healthcare providers, policymakers, communities, and families, to collaborate around the following:

• Data collection
• Policy development
• Program implementation and guidance
• Statutory considerations
• Provider education
• Medical protocol updates and more

Every conversation, idea, and project that Louisiana’s EMSC program leads seeks to reduce pediatric morbidity and mortality rates caused by acute illnesses and injuries.

Louisiana’s EMSC program serves all pediatric patients who utilize the emergency healthcare system. EMSC performs gap analyses and informs strategic process improvements in EMS agencies and emergency departments to improve pediatric emergency healthcare in Louisiana.

The core functional goals of the program are:

1. Increase data-driven decision making among EMS agencies, hospitals, and key stakeholders to increase pediatric readiness scores and reduce statewide child morbidity and mortality rates.
2. Improve EMS agency and emergency department practitioner pediatric skills and agency/facility capacity to support successful pediatric emergency outcomes.
3. Promote pediatric readiness by reducing systemic barriers and increasing incentive structures for pre-hospital and hospital providers.
4. Ensure permanence of the EMSC program to ensure that pediatric emergency care is integrated into the larger emergency medical services system.

The program operates under the guidance and advice of an Advisory Board. Membership includes:

• family and community representation
• medical professionals
• advocates for children and youth with special health care needs
• Representation from organizations that collaborate to improve pediatric care across Louisiana and the United States, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the National Association of Emergency Medical Physicians (NAEMSP), the National EMSC Data Analysis and Resource Center (NEDARC), the National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO), the Louisiana Emergency Response Network (LERN), the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), the Louisiana Bureau of EMS (BEMS), the Louisiana Hospital Association (LHA), and the Louisiana Ambulance Alliance (LAA).

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards proclaimed May 20,2020 as Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Day! Click here to view the Proclamation.

Special Announcement! The EMSC program was awarded HRSA EMSC Targeted Issues Grant funds for 2019-2023. We represent the only State Health Department to receive this award. The aim of the funding is to improve system readiness and pediatric care in Louisiana’s emergency healthcare system. Specifically, the funding is used to:

• Conduct research on health outcomes of pediatric patients transported by EMS
• Develop a statewide consortium of Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinators (PECCs). PECCs will provide education, training, and resources related to pediatric emergency care and equipment to EMS agencies.
• Collect and share data from EMS agencies regarding the results and effectiveness of the PECC program and communicate findings to EMSC stakeholders.
• Establish and maintain partnerships that improve pre-hospital pediatric emergency care, reduce medication errors, and increase initiation of appropriate treatment