,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dbij  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,march #be1 #bjad    
,mr4 ,matheson 7for himself and ,mr4    
,king of ,new ,york7 introduced the     
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce 
,a ,,bill  ,to amend the ,public ,health
 ,service ,act to reauthorize the       
,emergency ,medical ,services for       
,children ,program4  #a4 ,short title   
,this ,act may be cited as the          
,wakefield ,act of #bjad4  #b4 ,findings
 ,congress makes the following findings3
  7#a7 ,there are approximately         
#bf1jjj1jjj child and adolescent visits 
to the ,nation's emergency departments  
every year4  7#b7 ,approximately #ij    
percent of children requiring emergency 
care are seen in general hospitals1 not 
in free standing children's hospitals1  
with one-quarter to one-third of the    
patients being seen in hospitals with no
 separate pediatric ward4  7#c7 ,injury 
and poisoning combined are the most     

common reason for pediatric emergency   
department visits1 accounting for nearly
 thirty percent of such visits1 while   
respiratory disorders such as asthma    
account for another #bf percent of      
pediatric emergency department visits4  
7#d7 ,up to one-quarter of children     
needing emergency care have special     
health care needs due to underlying     
medical conditions such as asthma1      
diabetes1 sickle-cell disease1 low birth
 weight1 and ,broncho pulmonary         
dysplasia4  7#e7 ,the ,emergency        
,medical ,services for ,children        
,program under section #aiaj of the     
,public ,health ,service ,act is the    
only ,federal program that focuses      
specifically on improving the pediatric 
components of the emergency medical     
services 7,,ems7 system4  7#f7 ,the     
,emergency ,medical ,services for       
,children ,program has1 in the past and 
present1 funded and supported pediatric 
emergency care improvement initiatives  
in every ,state and ,united ,states     

,territory to expand and improve        
emergency care for children who need    
treatment for life threatening illnesses
 and injuries by--  7,a7 completing the 
only national assessment of pediatric   
pre-hospital emergency care in the      
,nation2  7,b7 assessing the access to  
medical direction for emergency medical 
services providers treating and         
transporting pediatric patients1        
appropriate pediatric equipment and     
supplies on ambulances to treat         
children1 and availability of           
inter-facility transfer agreements and  
guidelines designed to expedite the     
transfer of pediatric patients to the   
most appropriate facility2  7,c7        
assuring that ,basic and ,advance ,life 
,support providers receive pediatric    
education to maintain competencies      
necessary to treat pediatric patients2  
and  7,d7 addressing regionalization of 
care and telemedicine that allow for    
timely transfers or care delivery to    
critically ill or injured children in   

rural or tribal settings where specialty
 care is not readily available4  7#g7   
,the ,emergency ,medical ,services for  
,children ,program is celebrating its   
#cjth anniversary1 marking three decades
 of driving key improvements in         
emergency medical services to children1 
and should continue its mission to      
reduce child and youth morbidity and    
mortality by supporting improvements in 
the quality of all emergency medical and
 emergency surgical care children       
receive4  #c4 ,reauthorization of       
,emergency ,medical ,services for       
,children ,program ,section #aiaj7;d7 of
 the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db 
,u4,s4,c4 #cjjw-#i7;d77 is amended by   
striking fiscal year #bjad and inserting
 each of fiscal years #bjad through     
#bjai4