EMS for Children

What is the Maine EMS for Children (EMS-C) Program?

In 1984, Congress signed into law the federal Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMS-C) Program. The goal of EMS-C is to reduce pediatric mortality and morbidity across the nation by ensuring appropriate and effective pediatric emergency care. The EMS-C Program is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).It is the only federal program focused on the emergency care needs of America’s children. Whether in times of a disaster or an everyday emergency, the HRSA EMS-C Program supports every state, U.S. territory and freely associated state to provide the right care, in the right place, at the right time for every child. Since its inception, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, five U.S. territories, and three freely associated states have received funding from the Federal Program.

The Maine EMS-C program focuses collaboratively with Maine EMS services, providers emergency departments and hospital personnel to encourage preparation, education and care for those 18 and under.  We work within a federally defined set of performance measures that strike a balance between EMS, hospital and long term resourcing of the State for pediatric response, care and transport.

  1. EMS-C Performance Measures Summary (PDF)
  2. EMS for Children Program Performance Measures Manual (PDF)
  3. Maine EMS-C Overview (PPT) and Maine EMS-C Overview (PDF)
  4. EMS-C Advisory Committee Overview (PDF)

Stork Award Program for EMS Field Deliveries of a Newborn (PDF)

From 2019-2020, the Maine EMS for Children program conducted a statewide survey of all EMS agencies regarding two critical concepts.  These concepts are part of the EMS-C performance measures and federal requirements.

  • Does your service have a Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator (PECC) to help with equipment, education and pediatric specific QI?
     
  • Do you conduct annual pediatric skills evaluation of your clinicians?

Maine EMS-C and NEDARC (our EMS-C national partner in data collection and analysis) reached out to all services and service leaders with a multitude of emails, statewide meeting reminders and hundreds of phone calls over a period of 3 months.  118 out of 259 (45.6%) EMS services responded to the survey and provided the following information. (14 licensed services were not included as they do not respond to 911 calls)

13 EMS Services have a PECC and 47 conduct skills evaluation as least annually

Annual amount of training by EMS services

The Maine survey results can be viewed here (PDF)

The National survey results can be viewed here (PDF)

EMSC Performance Measure 2

Goal of 90% of all Maine EMS services will have a designated individual to coordinate pediatric care (30% by 2020, 60% by 2023, and 90% by 2026).

Youtube Overview Video

Prehospital PECC Fast Facts (PDF)

Sample PECC Job Description (DOC)

Joint policy statement on pediatric readiness in EMS systems (PDF) (Pediatrics, January 2020)

  • From the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Emergency Physicians, Emergency Nurses Association, National Association of Emergency Medical Services Physicians, and National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians

NAEMSP position statement "Physician Oversight of Pediatric Care in EMS" (PDF) (June 29, 2016)

Resource Document "Coordination of Pediatric Care in EMS Systems" (PDF) (2017)

EMSC Performance Measure 3

Goal of 90% of all Maine EMS services will have a process that requires EMS providers to physically demonstrate the correct use of pediatric specific equipment (30% by 2020, 60% by 2023, and 90% by 2026).

Youtube Overview Video

Simulation-based Assessment of Paramedic Pediatric Resuscitation Skills (PDF) (Prehospital Emergency Care, 2009)

Michigan Pediatric Medication Dosing by Paramedics Study (PDF) (Prehospital Emergency Care, 2019)

National Pediatric Readiness Assessment - stay tuned for future assessment date

Other Maine Pediatric Resources

  1. Map of Hospitals in Maine with Birthing Capabilities (PDF) 
  2. Child Abuse & Mandated Reporters in Maine
  3. Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children during COVID (MIS-C)
    1. Youtube video of May 29, 2020 presentation from Massachusetts General Hospital for Children
    2. Maine Medical Center/Barbara Bush MIS-C Clinical Guidelines (PDF)

Safe Transport of Children By EMS

Transport Device Manuals
(Does not constitute product recommendation by Maine EMS)

Resources for Families and Caregivers

State & Local Partners

Federal Partners

Reference Resources

Maine EMS makes no recommendations on any particular products or procedures.

Clinical Resources

Disaster Resources

If you would like a manual or resource added, please email marc.a.minkler@maine.gov