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One month left to participate in the PPRP Assessment!

The national response rate for the Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Project (PPRP) Assessment has reached 30%, with more than 4,500 agencies participating! Learn whether your EMS or fire-rescue agency is ready for its next pediatric call by taking part today. The assessment takes just 30 minutes to complete and provides a detailed report highlighting gaps and benchmarking information. Access the survey at https://emspedsready.org and view response rates and total responses in your state here.

State Partnership Program managers: Please continue to reach out to the PPRP Co-Leads and EMSC Data Center for technical assistance. We appreciate your questions and engagement! You can also refer to the FAQs for guidance. Let’s make this final push count!

Taking steps to save children’s lives in EDs costs little for hospitals

A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open found that adhering to national guidelines on pediatric care in EDs costs hospitals between $4 and $48 per patient. For comparison, the mean price of a single dose through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s childhood vaccination program is $65. The EMSC study co-authors, Kate Remick, MD, FAAP, FEMS, and Marianne Gausche-Hill, MD, FACEP, FAAP, say the cost is especially low when considering the return on investment: evidence shows becoming highly pediatric ready can reduce mortality by as much as 76%. Read more about the study.

Updated Interfacility Transfer Guide released

Did you know that 85% of neonatal and pediatric patients present to general EDs rather than specialized pediatric EDs? It’s essential to ensure every ED has the ability to quickly and safely transfer pediatric patients when necessary. The EMSC Program, alongside the Emergency Nurses Association and Society of Trauma Nurses, has released an updated Pediatric Interfacility Transfer Guide to help ED clinicians plan, prepare, and execute transfers for young patients. The guide includes step-by-step instructions for drafting agreements, examples, regulatory resources, case studies and more! View it here.

Territory spotlight: Guam

The EMSC Program supports seven territories and jurisdictions in the United States. These areas face unique geographic, cultural, and system dynamics in their work to improve pediatric emergency care. In an effort to learn more about these EMSC programs, we sat down for a Q&A with Breanna Sablan, Guam’s EMSC State Partnership program director. Read more about Guam’s EMSC program and watch for more articles in this series in future newsletters. 

Second PECC learning module launched

The presence of pediatric emergency care coordinators (PECCs) in EDs significantly increases pediatric readiness scores and is considered the most effective strategy for improving pediatric emergency care. PECCs work to help EDs follow national guidelines on pediatric care, with responsibilities ranging from managing pediatric equipment and supplies to leading quality improvement initiatives. 

National guidelines recommend every ED have one nurse and one physician PECC. To assist ED clinicians in taking on the PECC role, the EMSC Program is creating a learning module series. The second module, “The Role of the Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator and Pediatric Readiness,” is now available. This module, along with the first, can be found here along with additional resources for ED and prehospital PECCs. The modules take an estimated 20 minutes to complete (13 for module 1 and 7 for module 2), and completion certificates are available.

FAN work in the field

Featuring members of EMSC’s Family Advisory Network (FAN). Learn more about the FAN.

Name: Heather Martin, EMT

State/Territory: Wyoming



On May 10, 2018, Heather Martin, EMT, Wyoming EMSC FAN, and president and founder of Cody’s Puzzle Piece Foundation, Inc., lost her son due to injuries resulting from a car crash. Despite sustaining a severe head injury, Cody, a high-functioning autistic adult, fought with first responders while they were trying to render aid as his condition would force him into fight-or-flight mode whenever someone entered his personal space. First responders who knew him and the family were able to advocate for him at the crash site. After Cody’s passing, Martin embarked on a mission to help others like Cody and support first responders' families. She advocated to raise awareness about autism spectrum disorders and their impact on communities. On January 1, 2020, HB0191-19, known as “Cody’s Law,” went into effect. This groundbreaking law requires the state to designate a “medical alert” on Wyoming driver’s licenses to make first responders aware of any medical conditions. It was the first of its kind in the nation and passed unanimously in the spring of 2019.

Martin, who has been an EMT for 20 years, initially considered quitting after Cody’s death. However, a conversation with the trooper who worked the crash scene inspired her to recertify at the last minute. 

“I had great discussions with my colleagues, and little did I know State EMSC program manager, Scott Logan, had a plan up his sleeve. When Scott called me about being the FAN rep for Wyoming, I immediately accepted! Though I wasn’t sure what I was getting into, I soon found out that Scott and I were not only in the same book, we were on the same page and paragraph.”

Scott also proposed the idea of equipping all Wyoming ambulances with sensory kits, which aligned perfectly with the mission of Cody’s Puzzle Piece Foundation, Inc. The organization is dedicated to advocating for "Cody's Law," supplying and restocking sensory kits, and educating the public about the unmet needs of children with similar challenges. Their next goal is to equip all Wyoming law enforcement and fire command vehicles with sensory kits, which would greatly benefit first responders in this rural state, where many have at least an EMR certification.