[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 13, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E73]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   INTRODUCTION OF THE WAKEFIELD ACT

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                           HON. JIM MATHESON

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 13, 2009

  Mr. MATHESON. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Wakefield Act, 
which reauthorizes the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program.
  It is the only Federal program that focuses on saving the lives and 
health of children needing emergency medical treatment.
  This year is the program's 25th anniversary and I am proud to be the 
lead sponsor along with Representative Peter King.
  Unfortunately, millions of kids find themselves in our Nation's 
emergency rooms every year. Thanks to the Wakefield Act, doctors, 
nurses, and first-responders now have much greater knowledge about what 
works and what doesn't work, when these small patients come through the 
emergency room door.
  Since the program began, child injury death rates have dropped 40 
percent. The research that resulted from this legislation helped 
establish pediatric emergency medicine as its own specialty. Data 
collection and training seminars--including from the Emergency Medical 
Services for Children Data Analysis Center based in my district at the 
University of Utah--have been provided to thousands of medical 
personnel.
  The program's authorization expired in September 2005. In the summer 
of 2006, the Institutes of Medicine released a report which documented 
the value of the program. It also noted the gaps that remain in 
providing quality emergency care for children. There is a serious gap 
between the percentage of kids who end up in the ER and the percentage 
of emergency rooms that are staffed, trained, and equipped to respond 
appropriately. The report's bottom line--this program is ``well 
positioned to assume a leadership role'' in closing the gap.
  It's endorsed by over 50 organizations, including the American 
Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Emergency Physicians.
  Madam Speaker, this legislation enhances the program by authorizing 
the funding needed to ensure that progress continues in this specialty. 
I look forward to working with my colleagues toward its adoption.

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