Childress Institute and State Health Officials Partner to Provide Free Pediatric Airway Course for NC EMS

Partial Funding Received from Speedway Children’s Charities in Charlotte

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Nov. 23, 2016) – The Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Emergency Medical Services have partnered to offer a free online course for all emergency medical providers on pediatric airway management. Speedway Children’s Charities in Charlotte provided partial funding for the course.

“Emergency medical responders are our first line of defense to save injured kids.” said Bob Gfeller, executive director of the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma. “They need easy and fast access to the latest techniques so they feel confident when they get a call that involves an injured kid. We hope this free online course will help our EMS partners because the right tools can save a child’s life.”

A link to the online course was distributed to all 36,000 licensed emergency professionals in North Carolina last week. The topic of pediatric airway for this online course was determined after a 2014 survey indicated a desire for more training in this area to better respond to injured children.

“We have a unique opportunity to reach out to EMS professionals across the State through online modules,” said N.C. Office of Emergency Medical Services EMS for Children Program Manager McKenzie Beamer. “Making this training available online allows broader access for EMS professionals to seek out and complete the program.”

According to a North Carolina Child Fatality Prevention Team report, in 2010, 68,715 of the more than 1 million emergency calls were for pediatric patients 16 year of age or younger.

The Childress Institute is raising awareness throughout November about the need for improved pediatric trauma care during the Golden Hour, or first 60 minutes after a serious injury. The Institute will profile one injured child’s story each day from Nov. 5-28 and will share one story each hour on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 29, to highlight that one child dies every hour, every day from pediatric trauma. If you or someone you know has a child that has been seriously injured, please share your story and tag #OurGoldenHour.

Emergency medical providers can access the free online course at https://saveinjuredkids.org/emsc/. For more information on the Childress Institute, please visit https://saveinjuredkids.org, or social media at https://www.facebook.com/SaveInjuredKids/, Twitter @injuredkids or Instagram @saveinjuredkids.

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About the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma

Life threatening injury is the No. 1 killer of kids in America. Nearly 10,000 children lose their lives every year from serious injuries. Almost 300,000 children are hospitalized and over 8 million children are treated in the emergency department for serious injuries each year, many of whom struggle with long-term recoveries and disabilities. It can happen anywhere, at any time, to any child. The Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma discovers and shares the best ways to prevent and treat severe injuries in children. The Institute funds research, education and advocacy to help improve the care and treatment injured kids receive across the U.S. The Childress Institute was founded at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in 2008 through a generous gift from Richard and Judy Childress. Visit www.SaveInjuredKids.org to learn more.

About the N.C. Emergency Medical Services for Children Program

The Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program works to decrease child morbidity and mortality due to severe illness or injury by working to improve the emergency medical care system as it pertains to children’s needs across the continuum of emergency care – including prevention, pre-hospital care, acute care, rehabilitation, and reintegration into the community. The EMSC Program is administered by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and funded by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau in collaboration with the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration.

Contact: 

Childress Institute:  Kara Thompson (336) 491-9766