With the help of fellow Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) has introduced a piece of legislation that would reauthorize the Emergency Medical Services for Children program.

The program, which has been around since 1984, strives to ensure that all children receive proper medical treatment in emergency situations no matter where they live in the country.

“When it comes to medical treatment, children are not small adults, and the EMSC program recognizes the special care and attention they deserve,” said Senator Casey. “This low-cost program has saved the lives of countless children and adolescents in the past 30 years, and I urge my colleagues to support this critically important program.”

“The EMSC program has been a real success story and has undoubtedly helped save children’s lives across the country,” Senator Hatch said. “Children require specialized medical care, and that specialized care comes with unique challenges. The EMSC program helps ensure that some of our country’s most vulnerable have access to the care they need, and I’ve been proud to support it all these years.”

The EMSC program has successfully reduced pediatric injury-related deaths by 40% in the 30 years that it has been in place.

Over 26 million children visit emergency rooms every year, and many are not transported to hospitals specifically designated for childhood care. Which is where the EMSC program comes in: it establishes standards of care while working with hospitals to ensure that proper procedures are followed. Included in the bill are allotted state grants, which are used periodically to uncover any holes that may occur in the program’s implementation.

Because of the success of the bill and the bipartisan support, the reauthorization legislation stands a great chance of passing in both the House and the Senate.

The EMSC program is affiliated with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Emergency Physicians, and other related professional organizations. The National EMS for Children Data Analysis Resource Center (NEDARC) is responsible for the data analysis and the dissemination of statistics accrued by the EMSC program.