PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY CARE REPORT IS KEY TO SOLVING PROBLEMS
AAP prepared to help implement recommendations

Washington, DC---The pediatric emergency care report issued today by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) captures accurately the many problems children and adolescents face in emergency care and recommends specific solutions, many of which reflect the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) policy positions.

"The American Academy of Pediatrics commends the IOM for its extremely thoughtful and incisive report," said AAP President Eileen M. Ouellette, MD, JD. "It will go a long way in helping to fix what's broken in emergency care for children if the recommendations are carried out."

Children's health care needs are different from adults, and therefore require specific consideration. The report highlights critical gaps for children in medications and equipment used, emergency care research and disaster preparedness, among others. It also calls for increased federal funding of the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program. The program is well positioned to lead further improvements in pediatric emergency care, and it needs to be appropriately funded to achieve that goal. The AAP has been lobbying Congress to increase EMSC fiscal year 2007 funding. The president's budget proposal recommended eliminating the funding. The IOM report calls for $37.5 million annually for 5 years.

"This report should be required summer reading for government officials and health professionals," Dr. Ouellette said. "We'll do all we can as an organization to make sure the recommendations become reality. This has the potential to revolutionize pediatric emergency care in this country."

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.