Thank you, EMS clinicians!

On EMS for Children (EMSC) Day, part of National EMS Week, EMSC Program grantees and national partners came together to spotlight the vital role of prehospital clinicians in caring for acutely ill and injured children. This year’s EMS Week theme, “We care. For everyone”, underscored the compassionate mission of EMS professionals. To mark the day, EMSC hosted a webinar, “Pediatric Prehospital Seizures: Evidence-Based Practice and Future Directions,” with free CE available for live attendees in partnership with Prodigy EMS. The session was attended by nearly 700 participants. Across the country, EMSC State Partnership Programs also celebrated with community events, ranging from awards and capitol recognitions to open houses and educational activities. See a gallery of EMSC Day photos from states and territories here.



Meet the managers: Welcome the Newest State Partnership program managers!

The EMSC Program is thrilled to introduce two new State Partnership Program managers for Hawaii and Nebraska.

State Partnership Program managers are vital to the EMSC Program because they work to expand and improve emergency care for children in real-time and at the community and state level. They do this in part by working on performance measures as outlined by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Learn more.

The power of an idea: A conversation with Dr. Marianne Gausche-Hill

Over 40 years ago, the EMSC Program began as a bold vision to improve emergency care for kids. One of the first to carry that vision forward was Marianne Gausche-Hill, MD, FACEP, FAAP, FAEMS, now co-director of the National Pediatric Readiness Project. Mentored by program founder James Seidel, MD, PhD, Gausche-Hill helped lead some of EMSC’s earliest research and quality improvement efforts—work that continues to shape pediatric emergency care nationwide.



Thanks to leaders like her, EMSC has become a national force for readiness, with data-driven tools, performance measures, and the promotion of pediatric emergency care coordinators in EDs and EMS agencies. And the results are clear: Pediatric Readiness saves lives. In honor of EMS for Children Day and EMSC’s 40th anniversary, we sat down for a conversation with Gausche-Hill. Read more.

EMS study highlights need for improved use of spinal motion restriction in children

A new study from the PECARN looked at how often EMS apply spinal motion restriction to children after blunt trauma. Of more than 7,700 children studied, 41.5% were placed in spinal motion restriction—even though only 1.6% had an actual cervical spine injury.

The study found that older children, certain injury types (like car crashes and falls), and specific symptoms (like neck pain or numbness) were more likely to have spinal motion restriction. However, many of these factors are not part of the newly developed PECARN clinical decision rule for identifying serious spine injuries.

The findings highlight the need for clearer EMS guidelines to ensure spinal motion restriction is used when truly needed—helping to avoid unnecessary discomfort and potential harm to children. Learn more.

EMSC out and about

The EMSC team continues to elevate Pediatric Readiness through national collaboration and knowledge-sharing. At the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2025 Meeting in Hawaii, EMSC experts joined pediatric leaders from across the country to highlight progress and innovations in emergency care.

Mohsen Saidinejad, MD, MS, MBA, and Marianne Gausche-Hill, MD, presented on the "Use of Machine Learning to Predict Hospital Admission and Critical Care Need for EMS-Treated Infants After a Suspected BRUE". Joyce Li, MD, MPH, led a workshop on "Practice Makes Prepared: Pediatric Mass Casualty Drill Workshop" and moderated an oral abstract session on "Emergency Medicine: Systems of Care". Michelle Moegling, BSN, RN, presented findings from "Pediatric Readiness and Experience Caring for Children During Disaster and Surge Scenarios: A Mixed-methods Study of Rural and Critical Access Hospital Staff". Kathleen Adelgais, MD, MPH, presented "Pediatric Prehospital Readiness Project: First Comprehensive Assessment of Pediatric Readiness of National Emergency Medical Services Agencies".

The American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Emergency Medicine (SOEM) EMS/Pediatric Readiness Subcommittee also hosted its 4th Annual PAS Project Showcase, spotlighting innovation in pediatric emergency care. This year’s winners included:

• Best Project Idea: "Moving the Needle on State Verified Pediatric Ready Hospitals", presented by Amanda Price
• Completed Project: "Partnerships with Pediatric Academic Medical Centers: A Qualitative Needs Assessment for Pediatric Care in Northern California Community Emergency Departments", presented by Rajesh Daferty

The EMSC network showed up strong—sharing innovations, connecting with partners, and spreading the word about the importance of Pediatric Readiness.