July 24, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 125 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
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EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FOR CHILDREN PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2019; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 125
(House of Representatives - July 24, 2019)
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[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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