Children present unique medical challenges and require specialized care, and the EMSC program continues to give medical personnel many of the tools they need to treat some of our country’s most vulnerable patients. – Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah
SALT LAKE CITY — A bill to reauthorize a program for emergency medical treatment for children has passed the U.S. House of Representatives.
The legislation, introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, had previously passed the Senate and is ready for President Barack Obama's signature.
The legislation has sought to ensure that emergency medical services can be provided to children and adolescents no matter where they live, attend school or travel. The Emergency Medical Services for Children program is in its 30th year and is the only federal program dedicated to improving emergency medical care for children.
Two key components of the program are housed at the University of Utah — the National EMSC Data Analysis Resource Center, which improves the quality of care in state EMS systems; and the Central Data Management and Coordinating Center for the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network, a network of pediatric researchers from around the country.
“Children present unique medical challenges and require specialized care, and the EMSC program continues to give medical personnel many of the tools they need to treat some of our country’s most vulnerable patients," Hatch said.
“I am proud that our legislation, which improves medical care for children across our country, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support,” Matheson said.
The program contains grants and infrastructure that enable states and providers to give proper emergency treatment to children.