Kentucky EMS for Children- Rural Expansion

Kentucky EMS for Children Project Abstract Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services 2464 Fortune Dr., Ste. 195 Lexington, KY 40509 KYEMSC Program Director: Mary E. Fallat, M.D. KYEMSC Program Manager/Project Director: Morgan Scaggs Phone: 859-256-3583 Email: [email protected] Website: http://kbems.kctcs.edu/EMSC.aspx Problem Kentucky is primarily a rural state with only two children’s hospitals located in the major urban centers of the state. Children in rural areas are dependent on general, community and critical access hospitals (CAHs) for emergency care. Assessments of Kentucky’s hospital emergency departments and EMS agencies continue to indicate gaps in pediatric readiness among CAHs, lower-level trauma centers (TCs), and rural EMS services. This project will address these inequities by supporting resource development based on stakeholder input and data driven quality improvement processes guided by national standards and subject matter experts. Goals and Objectives The goals of this project are to increase the number of rural hospitals recognized by the statewide pediatric medical recognition program from seven to 14 facilities, increase weighted pediatric readiness scores for all participating facilities by at least 20%, and engage at least 50% of rural EMS agencies without an identified Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator (PECC) in the catchment area of participating hospitals in project activities to encourage PECC designation. Methodology Working with a robust team of partner organizations and stakeholders, KYEMSC will lead a collaborative learning program focused on the seven core domains of pediatric readiness, support resource development and equipment acquisition, and increase pediatric educational opportunities to improve pediatric readiness in CAHs and TCs. Coordination KYEMSC will accomplish these goals by working with stakeholders and partner organizations, including the Kentucky Office of Rural Health (KORH), Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) and the Kentucky Department of Public Health (KYDPH) Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), Norton Children’s Hospital (NCH), Kentucky Children’s Hospital (KCH), the Kentucky Trauma Advisory Committee (TAC), and state chapters of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACSCOT), and American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). Evaluation Progress will be evaluated by comparing National Pediatric Readiness Project scores from 2013 (2021 if available) and a post-evaluation completed by all participating hospitals and by comparing annual EMS for Children Survey results for EMS agencies. Annotation Kentucky is a rural state with significant challenges to improving pediatric readiness of small rural hospitals. Focusing on critical access hospitals and Level III and IV trauma centers and adjacent EMS agencies, KYEMSC will lead a collaborative learning program designed with stakeholder input and subject matter expert guidance to improve pediatric readiness among rural providers.