[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 24, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H7364-H7365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FOR CHILDREN PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF
2019
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 776) to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize
the Emergency Medical Services for Children program.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 776
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Emergency Medical Services
for Children Program Reauthorization Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FOR
CHILDREN PROGRAM.
Section 1910(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
300w-9(d)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``2014, and'' and inserting ``2014,''; and
(2) by inserting before the period the following: ``, and
$22,334,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter) each
will control 20 minutes.
[[Page H7365]]
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
General Leave
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 776.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, for 35 years, the Emergency Medical Services for
Children, or EMSC, program has been the only Federal grant program
specifically focused on addressing the needs of children in emergency
medical systems.
If ever a parent or caregiver is required to call 911 to get
emergency care for a child, they should know that the child will
receive the medical care that they need.
The EMSC program helps provide this peace of mind by enhancing care
for all children, no matter where they live, travel, or go to school.
The EMSC program invests in research, care delivery enhancements,
data monitoring, innovation in both prehospital EMS settings as well as
hospital emergency departments.
The program has led to real results and better care for children. For
example, research funded by EMSC has led to a new pediatric head injury
algorithm, which has led to a reduction in unnecessary radiation
exposure from CT scans in children who have suffered head injuries.
Mental health and substance abuse screenings have been created to
better assess children in emergency situations, and a full 50 percent
of hospitals have adopted new guidelines to assist them in transferring
children to appropriate facilities when specialized care is needed.
Any doctor, nurse, or EMS provider will tell you that we can't simply
treat children as small adults. They need specialized treatment and
protocols to ensure that the care they receive is appropriate and
available to them when and where they need it. Passing this 5-year
reauthorization of the EMSC program will continue to provide innovative
and appropriate care to children.
Mr. Speaker, I hope all of my colleagues will join me in supporting
this bill today, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of H.R. 776, the
Emergency Medical Services for Children Program Reauthorization Act of
2019.
I would like to thank Representatives Peter King and Kathy Castor for
their work on this important legislation.
The Emergency Medical Services for Children program was enacted in
1984 to provide grant funding to increase the ability of emergency
medical systems to care for pediatric populations. Not only does this
program provide funding so that emergency departments and hospitals can
equip themselves with the appropriate pediatric medical tools, it
enables partnerships and drives research and innovation in emergency
care for children.
Whether children require emergency care following a car crash or fall
ill in the middle of the night with nowhere else to turn, our emergency
medical system needs to have staff trained in how to treat children. A
major part of that is providing the resources to equip healthcare
professionals with the right size medical tools.
The Emergency Medical Services for Children program provides grants
for the State Partnership Program to integrate pediatric care into the
EMS system and reduce pediatric morbidity and mortality. States can
focus on providing quality prehospital and hospital-based care, in
addition to establishing plans to handle disaster and trauma care.
Our Nation's healthcare workforce still has much to learn about the
treatment of pediatric populations, which is why continued research
through the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network is
crucial. This body is the first federally funded pediatric emergency
medicine research network in the country and conducts a wide variety of
research about acute illness and injuries in children.
The reauthorization of the Emergency Medical Services for Children
program is critical to maintaining and improving pediatric emergency
care. Mr. Speaker, I urge strong support of H.R. 776, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would urge support for this bipartisan
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 776, the
Emergency Medical Services for Children Program Reauthorization Act,
sponsored by Representatives Peter King and Kathy Castor. This
legislation reauthorizes grants that focus on addressing the unique
needs of children in emergency medical systems, with the ultimate goal
of reducing the prevalence of morbidity and mortality in children that
may occur as a result of acute illness and severe injury. This is
really critical legislation for parents and children in our
communities--no one should have to know the pain of losing a child. I
urge my fellow House members to support this bill.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Committee on
the Budget, I rise in strong support of H.R. 776, the Emergency Medical
Services for Children Program Reauthorization Act of 2019.
The Emergency Medical Services for Children Program (EMSC) reduces
child and youth mortality and morbidity due to severe illness or injury
by increasing awareness among health professionals, providers and
planners, and the general public of the special needs of children
receiving emergency medical care.
Specifically, the EMSC program has provided grants to all states
since I 1985 for the State Partnership, Targeted Issues, State
Partnership Regionalization of Care, and The Pediatric Emergency Care
Applied Research Network.
Additionally, the EMSC program has been used to establish national
resource centers and a pediatric emergency care research network.
Mr. Speaker, the majority of children are treated in community and
rural emergency departments rather than specialized centers such as
large children's hospitals.
As a result, pediatric visits make up less than 20 percent of cases
at emergency departments, so they lack the quality of pediatric
emergency care needed for established practice guidelines.
I support H.R. 776 because Congress has a responsibility to ensure
that every child has access to necessary emergency medical services and
that no child in our nation is left untreated.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 776,
the ``Emergency Medical Services for Children Program Reauthorization
Act of 2019.''
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 776.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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