EMS Grants Help

Advocate for the EMS Field Bill which provides grants, funding

The legislation establishes grant programs and funding distribution, and EMS on the Hill Day is the perfect time to push it forward

The upcoming EMS on the Hill Day is the perfect time to advocate for The Field EMS Bill, which redefines EMS in the federal government, establishes grant programs and helps determine how funding is delegated.

The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) will host the 6th annual EMS On The Hill Day in Washington, D.C. on April 28-29.

The Field EMS Bill is sponsored in the House by Indiana Rep. Larry Buschon and championed by NAEMT as an advocate for their members and EMS professionals around the country.

“In many areas of the nation, EMS services are highly fragmented, poorly equipped and insufficiently prepared for day-to-day operations, let alone natural or man-made major disasters,” said Melissa Trumbull, Industry Relations Manager for NAEMT.

This, in part, has to do with the legal designation of EMS under the Department of Transportation. The bill addresses the 2006 Institute on Medicine Report, Emergency Medical Services: At a Crossroads, that identified systematic problems in EMS including: funding, training, research, and national coordination of quality improvement metrics.

Consequences if the EMS Field Bill fails

Increased difficulties with access to care due to increased response times, inadequate staffing, and insufficient equipment
Stifled progression of EMS
Closing of agencies due to financial constraints

NAEMT believes that EMS is the gateway to the public health system and has a significant impact on the crucial initial moments of a patient inside the health care system. The EMS Field Bill designates essential funding that is necessary to sustain the quality of care we give our patients, but also has the opportunity progress to preventative programs like community paramedicine.

While some providers feel that this bill does not do enough or will have no impact on EMS, NAEMT challenges those sentiments stating, “The bill contains specific remedies to the issues identified in the IOM report.” Additionally, the EMS Field Bill continues to educate the public about what EMS is and has opened a dialogue with Congress about field emergency medical care and its impact upon the greater health care system.

Learn more about joining NAEMT for EMS on the Hill Day.

About the author

Rachel Stemerman is the product manager of data science and APIs at ESO. Prior to joining ESO, she completed her PhD in Health Informatics at the University of North Carolina as a National of Library Medicine fellow where her research focused on information extraction, machine learning, and data visualization for clinical decision support. Prior to entering her PhD program, she was the quality improvement coordinator for Orange County EMS where she currently is an active paramedic.