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Patient and Family Perspectives

Featuring members of EMSC’s

Family Advisory Network (FAN).

Name: Justin Severs

State/Territory: Michigan

Why did you become a FAN? “I've been in law enforcement for the past 15 years and at my current department, we respond to all medical calls. When hearing any calls over the radio involving children, it always caught my attention. In 2016, my son, Carter, was diagnosed with autism. This made me realize how little I knew about autism and how much more training we could use in law enforcement when responding to calls involving individuals on the spectrum. In 2019, we developed Carter Kits for first responders and shortly after that, I met Dr. Sam Mishra [Michigan EMSC Program Manager]. Dr. Mishra requested I become a FAN and I never had to think twice about it. Being able to be part of a team with the goal of making children the priority #1 is what we all want as a parent.”

What is the most important thing for emergency practitioners to know about caring for children? “ I think the most important thing, especially in law enforcement, is being able to build a rapport with children because that one interaction could impact that child for life, positively or negatively..." Read more.

Resources Round-Up:

Policy statements:

• AAP: Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program: Optimization to Promote Equity in Child and Young Adult Health

Condition-specific resources:

• EIIC: Pediatric Education and Advocacy Kit (PEAK): Child Abuse
• ENA: COVID-19 Resources
• PPN: Updated CDC Information: Nirsevimab (Beyfortus): FAQs for Healthcare Professionals

Disaster resources:

• AAP: Pediatric Preparedness Resource Kit
• ASPR TRACIE: "Roundtable on Lessons Learned from the Pediatric Tripledemic: Systems, Staff, Space, and Supplies" webinar recording 

EMSC grantee resources:

• EMSC: All-Grantee Meeting Resources
• EMSC: Raising the Bar: Pediatric Recognition Programs
• EMSC: National Pediatric Readiness Project FAQs

Other resources:

• AAP: Town Hall: Addressing Key Pediatric Issues

Upcoming Events:

• EMSC Midwest Virtual Pediatric Symposiums for PECCs/Pediatric Champions: for EMS - Nov. 2 and for EDs - Nov. 9
• National Conference in EMS - Nov. 2-4
• WRAP-EM webinar- Kids in Crisis – Mental Health & Emergency Departments - Nov. 8 
• Wisconsin EMSC’s Preparing for Pediatric Complex Care Emergencies webinar - Nov. 14
• National EMS Advisory Council Meeting - Nov. 15-16
• Missouri Pediatric Injury Prevention Virtual Conference - Nov. 16 at 9am CT 
• WRAP-EM quarterly webinar: PECCs in EMS agencies and EDs (featuring Hilary Hewes, MD, of the EMSC Data Center) - Nov. 20 at 2pm CT
• National Healthcare Coalition Preparedness Conference - Nov. 28-30
• ACS Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) conference - Dec. 1-3
• NAEMSP Annual Meeting - Jan. 8-13
• ACEP/EMBC Independent EM Group Master Class - Feb. 6-8
• Pediatric Academic Societies 2024 - May 2-6
• NASEMSO Annual Meeting 2024 - May 12-16

Other Opportunities:

• NAEMSP/Stryker 2024 EMS Medicine Early Career Medical Director Award applications are open through Nov. 30. Learn more.
• EMSC has launched its first pediatric emergency care coordinator (PECC) learning module for ED-based PECCs: you are invited to view the module and provide feedback.

Honors and Awards:

• Congratulations to Jennifer Anders, MD, this year’s NAEMT-AAP/Handtevy Pediatric EMS awardee. Anders was the principal investigator for the EMSC Targeted Issues Project "Pediatric Decision Tree (PDTree)" for EMS transport destinations. 
• Congratulations to the EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center Co-Director, Charles Macias, MD, MPH, who was recently named one of Cleveland’s Notable Latino Leaders!

Research Highlights:

• Emergency Department Pediatric Readiness Among US Trauma Centers: A Machine Learning Analysis of Components Associated With Survival, Annals of Surgery, September*
• Seasonal Trends in Emergency Department Visits for Mental and Behavioral Health Conditions Among Children and Adolescents Aged 5–17 Years — United States, January 2018–June 2023, CDC, Sept. 22
• Racial, Ethnic, and Socioeconomic Disparities in Prehospital Encounters for Children with Asthma, Prehospital Emergency Care, Sept. 25*
• Implications of Food and Drug Administration Approval of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prophylactic Medications, Pediatrics in Review, Oct. 2
• Pediatric Mental Health Emergencies During 5 COVID-19 Waves in New York City, Pediatrics, Oct. 20

Share your story! We're looking for patient and provider stories about children's health care needs in everyday emergencies and disasters. Your story is vital to help us raise awareness about the need to improve outcomes for children. Learn more and share your story here.

Have news, resources, or events to share? Want to make sure a research paper or award recipient is mentioned? Email us!

EMSC grantees are welcomed to repurpose newsletter content.

The EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award (U07MC37471) totaling $2.5M with 0 percent financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. For more information, visit hrsa.gov.

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