National Emergency Medical Services for Children Day

National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week, a celebration to honor the approximately 750,000 EMS providers nationwide who deliver lifesaving emergency care, is May 18-24. Within National Emergency Medical Services Week is a special day set aside to help raise public awareness about the essential need for specialized care for pediatric patients. May 21 had been designated EMS for Children Day (EMSC). East Tennessee Children’s Hospital has teamed up with Rural/Metro again this year to celebrate National Emergency Medical Services for Children Day and will recognize the emergency professionals who are specially trained and equipped to help save the lives of children every day. This year’s theme – EMS: When It Matters Most – emphasizes the responsiveness of emergency medical services around the country, while underscoring the importance of the national 9-1-1 emergency number system. It also addresses the commitment and dedication of the 750,000 providers who serve their communities. “Children are not just little adults,” said Angie Bowen, Regional Coordinator for Emergency Medical Services at Children Hospital. “Their bodies react differently to injury and illness. EMS professionals receive special training for emergencies involving children, and this special day recognizes that.” National EMS Week and National EMS for Children Day honor the lifesaving care EMS providers offer 365 days a year and draws attention to the essential need for specialized emergency care. And it offers a forum for the public to learn about injury prevention, safety awareness, and emergency preparedness. Emergency Medical Services for Children Day focuses of drawing national attention to the essential need for specialized emergency care for children to ensure that every child in the nation receives the highest quality emergency care possible-from primary prevention to acute care and rehabilitation. “We never want to forget the tremendous calling many EMS providers have to serve their communities, and the variety of ways they educate, protect and improve our lives,” said Bowen. “EMS Week is a great opportunity to recognize the many EMS providers who sacrifice so much to give back to our communities.” For more information, call Children’s Hospital’s Community Relations Department at (865) 541-8165.