Support Re-Authorization of
Emergency Medical Services for Children [EMS-C]

Latest Major Action: 3/31/2009 Referred to Senate committee.
Status: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

________________________________

From: Pediatric Emergency Medicine Discussion List on behalf of Nathan Kuppermann
Sent: Sat 2/14/2009 9:47 PM
To: PED-EM-L@listserv.brown.edu Subject: Support the reauthorization of EMSC

Dear Friends of EMSC,

         As you may, or may not, know, last year, the House of Representatives passed a bill (called the Wakefield Act) to reauthorize
the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program in a very definitive fashion. Unfortunately, the bill did not move forward
in the Senate before the conclusion of the Congressional year.

         Fortunately, however, the Wakefield Act has been reintroduced in the House and Senate by many faithful champions of this bill in
Congress. The numbers on the bills are H.R. 479 in the House, and S. 408 in the Senate. The bill would authorize appropriations of
$25 million to EMSC for the first year, and a five percent increase for each of the following five years. There is support for this bill both
in the House and Senate, as there are many loyal champions of this bill there. However, we need to take action now to show
widespread grassroots support for this bill as well. We, the friends of EMSC, must play a critical role in this effort.

         What we can do is:

1. Click on http://aap.grassroots.com/emscreauthorizationCopy2/ to find a letter that will automatically be sent to your
House and Senate members urging them to cosponsor the Wakefield Act. Customize the letter with your own personal
experiences or information specific to your city or state. Your Congressperson will like to know the impact of the bill in your state.

2. Educate your Congresspeople on the importance of this bill to the health of children around the country, and in your state.

         You may contact the AAP Department of Federal Affairs for more information.

         We must do what we can to support and sustain this important organization.

         The time to act is now.

                  Carpe Diem,

                           Nate Kuppermann,
                           UC Davis

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"Reauthorize EMS-C"
[http://ENW.org/EMS-C-09.htm]
is a WebArticle written by  Nathan Kuppermann, MD MPH
presented by
Emergency Nursing World ! [http://ENW.org]
©Tom Trimble, RN [Tom@ENW.org]