EMSC is the only Federal program that focuses on improving the quality of children’s emergency care. It builds upon existing Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems, which initially focused on adult emergency care with little attention paid to the special needs of children.

The goals of the EMSC Program are to ensure that state-of-the-art emergency medical care is available for ill or injured children and adolescents, to ensure that pediatric service is well integrated into an emergency medical services system, and to ensure that the entire spectrum of emergency services - including primary prevention of illness and injury, acute care, and rehabilitation - are provided to children and adolescents.

To reach its goals, the EMSC Program provides grants to states to improve and enhance pediatric emergency care. Three categories for grant funding are available - state systems grants for planning, implementing, and partnership for sustaining EMS and child health system improvements within the State.

The Office of Emergency Planning and Response, Mississippi State Department of Health was awarded the EMSC Program Planning grant in August of 1998. The goals of the planning phase were to evaluate the current state of pediatric care in Mississippi, to develop programs to improve the care of pediatric patients in the state, and to develop programs geared toward injury prevention and community involvement in pediatric issues. This was accomplished by conducting a pediatric needs assessment survey. This survey was sent to every hospital and prehospital provider in Mississippi.

As result of this survey, two areas of need in pediatric care were found, advanced pediatric education and injury prevention programs. These areas were addressed and programs were researched and developed to provide an advanced pediatric education course and a comprehensive school-based injury prevention program.

OEPR was awarded the EMSC Program Implementation grant in August 1999. This grant provided funding to implement programs develop during the Planning Grant. The programs implemented included advanced pediatric education courses and a comprehensive school-based injury prevention curriculum. The education courses include: Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals (PEPP) course and Pediatric Basic Trauma Life Support (PBTLS) course. The injury prevention curriculum that was implemented was a program developed by the National Fire Protection Association called Risk Watch.

PEPP represents a comprehensive source of prehospital medical information for the emergent care of infants and children. It teaches prehospital professionals how to better assess and manage ill or injured children. This course is administered at eight sites across the State. This course has been offered by the Mississippi EMSC Program to Mississippi physicians, nurses, and State Certified EMT’s at all levels at no cost to the participants. 

Risk Watch is a comprehensive school-based injury prevention program designed for children in preschool through eighth grade. The Mississippi EMSC Program is providing the Risk Watch curriculum to any school in Mississippi that wishes to participate in the program. Each school is provide the resource material and are provided an educational workshop to each participating teacher. This curriculum and workshop is provided to each participating school at no cost.

The PBTLS course is a one-day training program devoted to pediatric trauma care. This program provides information about pediatric trauma and pediatric assessment skills for critically injured children. The participant learns airway management, pediatric extrication, and immobilization skills from hands-on skill stations. The participants also learns how to communicate with various ages of pediatric patients and how to communication with the parents that accompany them. The PBTLS course is offered by the Mississippi EMSC Program to Mississippi physicians, nurses, and State Certified EMT’s at all levels at no cost to the participant.

For fiscal-year 2000, at total of 500 professionals were trained in both the PEPP and PBTLS courses. Risk Watch has been implemented in 20 schools across the State. It is the goal of the Mississippi EMSC Program to expand these programs throughout the duration of the 3-year implementation grant.

In 2002, the Mississippi EMSC Program was awarded a three year partnership grant. The objectives of this grant are to enhance and expand the Pediatric Safety programs in the State. 

EMSC implemented the Watch Out Program. The program provide safety
education to children and youth throughout the state. Examples of program that 
will be made available through the Mobile Pediatric Education Unit include, but is 
not limited to:

These programs and others will be made available throughout the state. Programs 
will be geared toward children, adolescents, youth and parents/care givers. We 
will collaborate with local organizations and determine the education needs 
of the community.

The equipment used in the presentation of these programs are: RV for basic home  safety, a smoke house for use with fire prevention and safety, Andy the Ambulance and Pluggie the fire plug for interaction with the kids at the safety programs.