Statements

Mission

To ensure that every child in Tennessee receives the best pediatric emergency care in order to eliminate the effects of severe illness and injury.

Background

The national Emergency Medical Services for Children Project began in 1989 when funding was initially granted to the states. The program considers the emotional, family, and cultural needs of children equal to their medical needs when faced with a life-threatening illness or injury. The Children's Emergency Care Alliance is the charitable organization in Tennessee which seeks to advocate for these children's needs, to advise the state government concerning current state of the art pediatric emergency/critical care services, and to facilitate the provision of these services across the breath of the state and across the continuum of pediatric care.

Impact

When traumatic events strike, children are at greater risk than adults. Why? Because children vary in size and development, providers can be ill-equipped to serve them. For example, before our efforts, many ERs didn't have oxygen masks that would fit children! CPR protocols are different for children, as is medicine dosing. Many health workers simply don't see enough children to retain their skills. In an effort to provide "real life" teaching moments to healthcare providers that do not care for critically ill and children on a routine basis; grant funding was obtained to purchase high fidelity pediatric manikins. Experienced pediatric nurses provide education utilizing the simulators at hospitals and EMS services throughout their region. Currently children do not receive appropriate pain medication for long bone fractures. These simulators will be used to teach evidence based pediatric pain management. The 15th Annual Update in Acute and Emergency Pediatric Care conference was held in Franklin, TN. The conference was attended by nearly 200 healthcare providers. The conference focused on quality and service and the opening speaker, Paige Klingborg, MD, delivered a spectacular message, 'Pediatric Shock-From First Contact to PICU: How Do We Manage Our Kids?' setting the tone for two days of engaging and interactive presentations from a range of experts. Resuscitation of a child is done by teams of providers. Leadership topics were added to agenda to enhance the team including "High Conflict Leadership: Managing Self and Others" by Steve Joiner, PhD. Tennessee has had a disaster plan for a myriad of topics including pets but did not have one for children. A great success this year was the inclusion of pediatrics into Tennessee's Emergency Support Function (ESF #8). This document provides the mechanism for coordinated assistance in response to a public health and medical disaster. The Eighth annual EMS Star of Life was held in May 2016. It is designed to honor the accomplishments of EMS personnel from all regions of Tennessee who provide exemplary life-saving care to adult and pediatric patients. The ceremony included a presentation of the actual adult or pediatric patient scenarios and reunited the EMS providers with the individuals they treated. It is a very moving event and it is often the first time the EMS providers have been reunited with the patient whose life they saved. Goals: 1. To identify and obtain funding for pediatric dosing systems for EMS providers. Currently, an EMS provider must do multiple math calculations at the scene of a critically ill and injured child. Studies have indicated that pediatric patients experience adverse events related to medication errors at a rate of 3:1 compared to adults. It is our goal to purchase a system that is easy to use and will take the math out of giving a child life saving medication. 2. To diversify the board of directors. Currently, the board comprises health care providers and a parent. Gaining expertise in marketing, finance, legal, etc will assist us to create better solutions to our challenges. 3. To diversify funding streams to accelerate meeting the emergency medical needs of children.

Needs

To expand board of directors with diverse background including legal, marketing, creative services, and accounting.To provide a pediatric medication dosing manual for each ambulance in the state for a total of $725,000.To include 'pediatric patients' in a full scale weather-related disaster. Financial partners to underwrite the infrastructure costs associated with 2 person office at a cost of $75,000.Ambulance services in Tennessee respond every year to over 1 million 911 calls. The EMS Star of Life Awards Dinner & Ceremony Program to provide day-to-day lifesaving services on the medical 'front line' in Tennessee. The program presents actual patient scenarios and reunites the EMS caregivers with the individuals they saved from the eight EMS regions across the state. Sponsors are needed to underwrite this $ 35,000+ event.

CEO Statement

My goal as the Executive Director is to lead a diverse group of volunteer stakeholders to make a difference in the lives of critically ill and injured children and the clinicians who care for them. Our desire is to have a positive impact on the lives of children and their families throughout Tennessee by ensuring clinicians have the training and tools to deliver effective and efficient treatment. At TN EMSC our mission is to significantly improve the survival rate of children with acute, life-threatening illness or injury every single day through: Our innovative collaborations and relationships directly influence a child's outcome and provide hope to their familyOur dedication to the healthcare professionals who provide care when it is most critical andOur significant capabilities to address the needs of children through public policy The goal of the Tennessee Emergency Medical Services for Children Foundation is to advocate for the highest quality of care for the ill and injured children who come into our hands, whether you are a physician, nurse, nurse's aid, paramedic, EMT, social worker, hospital administrator, educator, or parent. The Foundation works behind the scenes to coordinate communication among facilities, to seek opportunities to promote injury prevention, to formulate and implement a state plan for disaster management that addresses the specific needs of children, and to encourage an exchange of knowledge and experience between healthcare professionals, families, school systems, and government.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Health Care  - Emergency Medical Services & Transport
Secondary Category:	Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness and Relief  - Disaster Preparedness and Relief Service
Tertiary Category:	Education  - Adult Education

Areas Served

Statewide

TN