MCHB Conference Webcasts
2005 EMSC Annual Grantee Meeting
April 12-13, 2005
DAN KAVANAUGH: Well, we're very proud to continue this tradition of the EMSC program in presenting awards to individuals, projects and community partners that contributed to the program's mission, as well as this morning we'll be recognizing our stakeholders and grantees who have participated and federal partners who have participated in the Partnership for Children Stakeholders Group.
Since 1996, the EMSC program has been honored to collaborate with multiple national organizations and organized partnership. And the EMSC Programs Partners are our nation's most prestigious groups dedicated to improving pediatric emergency medical care.
Today, we'll begin the EMSC National Heroes Awards. I'm delighted to recognize these national organizations, seven EMSC grantees and three federal program partners for their contributions to the EMSC program. And these individuals assembled represent these organizations or EMSC grants as members of the EMSC Partnership for Children Stakeholders Group and have provided a lot of input, guidance, and continue to, to myself and the program partners.
As I call each of your names, I would ask you to please step forward and my colleague, Tina Turgel, will provide you with a small token, certificate of our appreciation, and I would ask members of the audience to please hold your applause until all the names have been called.
Diane Atkins of Target Issues Grants; Isabelle Berrata, American College of Emergency Physicians; Kathleen Brown, National Association of EMS Physicians; Kim Bullock, American Academy of Family Physicians; Jim Chamberlain, representing the PCARN grantees. We got him in line there. Russell Crowley, the National Council of State EMS Training Coordinators. Drew Dawson, great partner at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Michael Dean, NEDARC grantee. Mike forgot he was supposed to be in line.
(Laughter)
We found ya.
Beverly Farinelli, the National Safe Kids Campaign; Betty Hastings, Indian Health Service; Halen Henus, Ambulatory Pediatric Association; Steven Heis, National Association of State EMS Directors; Elijah Jenkins, state partnership grantee from Florida; Nancy Casam Adams, another targeted issue grantee. Tommy Loyacono, the National Association of EMTss; Jessica Smith on behalf of Susan McClain, Emergency Nurses Association. Nicole Bobo, on behalf of Wanda Miller, the National Association of School Nurses; Doreen Risley, state partnership grantee from Alaska; Victor Skalli, the American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians. Sue Teles, the American Academy of Pediatrics. Harry Teeter from the American Trauma Society. And David Togul, from the American Pediatric Surgical Association.
Please give them a great round of applause.
(Applause).
I would also like to just recognize a couple names and organizations of folks who I was told could not be here this morning, which is Carolyn Allshouse from Family Voices; David Bore, State Partnership Grantee; Susan Dole from NCRE, Anne Flannigan from the American Association of Poison Control Centers; and Lori Moore from the International Association of Firefighters; and Karen Walsh from the National Association of Social Workers; and Sherita Allen, formerly with the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, those folks who could not be here today, but we would also like to recognize them. Thank you.
(Applause)
It's been seven years since we awarded our first National Heroes Award ‑‑ actually, one thing I wanted to say, we would like, at the end of the awards to, we're going to actually have photo sessions for stakeholder folks and for the National Heroes Awards recipients at the end. So please stay to get your photo taken.
As I said, it's been seven years since we awarded our First National Heroes Awards, and their accomplishments continue to surpass expectations.
And as a result the EMSC program continues to reap great benefits throughout the years. Since the first ceremony in 1998 I'm proud to say the program has recognized more than 40 individuals, state teams and organizations with outstanding achievement and improving EMSC.
This year we add seven more to that distinguished list of recipients, and through their services these recipients have improved the lives of many children. And today we thank them. We celebrate their excellence, and we urge each of them to continue being extraordinary inspirations to us and others.
The National Heroes Awards gives me and all of us here today the opportunity to say thank you and to recognize your outstanding achievement in advancing the mission of the EMSC program. Those categories which will be given this afternoon include the EMSC Project Coordinator of Distinction Award; the EMSC Family Member Volunteer of the Year; the EMSC Provider Leadership Award; State EMSC Policy Maker of Distinction Award; EMSC Community Partnership Award; Outstanding EMSC Research Project Award, and the EMSC Lifetime Achievement Award.
We begin this afternoon's award ceremony with the EMSC Project Coordinator of Distinction Award. The first two items will be presented by Ivy Vedamuthu, and following two awards will be presented by my colleague Tina Turgel.
Before Ivy gives an award, I'd like to recognize Ivy with an award. As I said, Ivy will be unfortunately ending her fellowship in June. It was about a year and a half ago when I was working here alone and I heard that there was a public health fellow looking to work for the, with the Maternal Child Health Bureau as part of her, to do a fellowship there. I kind of raised my hand and said yes, yes. And she's been a great colleague to work with, and I really appreciate all the work you've done over the year and a half; and I wish you the best in your future endeavors after you go on to bigger and better things.
Thank you, Ivy, very much, for all of your work.
(Applause)
IVY VEDAMUTHU: Now I get to give a couple of awards. Welcome to our seventh presentation of the EMSC Program's National Heroes Awards.
Our first award is the EMSC Project Coordinator of Distinction Award. This award honors a person that has a comprehensive understanding of his or her state's EMSC‑related issues and has successfully integrated EMSC into state EMS programs for the long‑term. In addition, the recipient of this award must have excelled at collaborating with other organizations and developed an EMSC state program or product that serves as a model for the nation.
This year's Project Coordinator of the Year Award goes to Sue Hohenhaus.
(Applause)
For five years, Sue Hohenhaus has served as the EMSC state coordinator for the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services. Through her dedicated efforts, Sue has improved the knowledge of the public and providers on critical pediatric issues, advocated for a seamless inclusion of EMSC into emergency care systems and assisted in the creation of many well known and widely used products, including office preparedness for pediatric emergencies, North Carolina Tennessee Pediatrics Advanced Life Support Course, and the Pediatric Mass Casualty Incident Guidelines, to name a few.
While with the North Carolina Office of EMS, Sue made herself known on the front line, traveled the state, visiting hospitals and EMS stations and often on calls with crews. Her dedicated efforts helped providers to buy into the EMSC initiatives she spearheaded.
In addition to targeting front‑line workers, Sue understands the importance of educating and securing the support of other key collaborators involved in the continuum of care, including doctors, nurses and injury prevention specialists. Sue is described as having the ability to connect with people where they are, whether it is a parent in the emergency department or an EMS provider on the scene or a potential funder in a corporate board room.
Sue has a special interest and expertise in pediatric safety. Her work as the project coordinator for its EMSC enhancing pediatric patient safety grant at Duke University is setting the national standards in this new and critical area.
In addition, Sue co‑wrote the safety proportions for the forthcoming PEP course, a program that's attended to establish safety principles for more than one million BLS and ALS pre-hospital professionals.
Sue is a teacher, consultant, author and editor. The energy that Sue Hohenhaus has put into improving the capacity of Emergency Care for Children and the successes of her endeavors makes her an ideal candidate for the Project Coordinator of Distinction Award.
As such, I'm honored to present her the 2005 award. Congratulations, Sue.
(Applause)
Sue Hohenhaus: You've never seen my speechless. You're my family. Thank you very much.
(Applause)
IVY VEDAMUTHU: Our next award is for the EMSC Family Member Volunteer of the Year. This award is given to a family member who has provided exemplary service that has made a significant positive impact on addressing the emergency medical needs of children in his or her community.
This year's award goes to Beth MacDonald of Dover , Delaware .
(Applause)
For the past 12 years, Beth has served as a parent leader and tremendous resource to Delaware 's young children and their families. Her volunteer activities include parent representative of the Delaware EMSC program, state coordinator and regional representative of Family Voices, chair of the Medicaid Managed Care Panel, chair of the Intra-agency Coordinating Council, the Governor‑appointed Advisory Council for the Birth to Early Intervention System.
In addition, she volunteers with the Delawarians with Special Needs organization; the Coordinating Council for Children with Disabilities, and the Early Childhood Comprehensive System Subcommittee on Medical Homes and Works with Partners and Policy, a leadership training program for adults with disabilities and parents of young children with developmental disabilities.
As a parent of a child who is a ventilator‑dependent, Beth's passion is to make life better for children with special healthcare needs and their families.
Her most noted EMSC accomplishment is the useful guidance she provided in the development of the Special Needs Alert Program. Her thoughtful insight has greatly improved the program, making it much more user friendly and family centered.
Beth worked constantly to promote the Special Needs Alert Program at home, at work, at schools and to paramedics throughout the state.
Beth MacDonald is breaking new ground to improve pediatric emergency care for families of children with special health needs. Therefore, it is with great honor that I introduce to you the 2005 recipient of the EMSC Family Member Volunteer of the Year: Beth MacDonald.
(Applause)
Beth MacDonald: Thank you. And I feel like Sue. This is one of the first times I'm speechless. And Marie, you were good. Thank you so much. Just thank you.
(Applause)
TINA TURGEL: Okay. The EMSC Provider Leadership Award recognizes a clinically‑based health professional who has dedicated his or her time, talent and energy to achieve the highest level of care for children in the community. This individual has helped assure the best possible care for sick and injured kids and provides leadership to addressing priority EMSC issues.
This year's EMSC Provider Leadership Award goes to Nels Sanddal.
(Applause)
In her nomination form, Mary Jean Urshin describes Nels as a living legend to the EMSC community. The number of children's lives that Nels has touched throughout the years is too numerous to count. He has always been very willing to serve children in any way that's asked of him. He's consistently been a role model and mentor to many professionals in the EMSC community, including state coordinators, regional advocates and federal and national leaders.
In addition to his work as an EMSC instructor, Nels has led or assisted in the design and development of numerous EMSC projects, including those that have received national recognition. His claim to fame in the EMSC world is his work in developing the Intermountain Regional EMSC Coordinating Council. His efforts through the council have led to many successful regional initiatives to improve the system of Emergency Care for Children.
Since 1993, he has served as an advisor, director or lead investigator for 11 pediatric‑related grants and contracts. His most current project is to develop an interactive CD‑ROM for prehospital care providers based on the pediatric triage program Jump‑start. Nels is a nationally recognized speaker and author specializing in pediatric EMS issues, children with special healthcare needs and suicide.
It gives me great pleasure to honor Nels Sanddal with the EMSC Provider Leadership Award. Congratulations.
(Applause)
Nels Sanddal: Well, I'm glad I have on a dark suit today, because I think if I hold this glass up next to the dark suit it will become a mirror, and as such will shine back on all of you, because this is your award, not mine. I'm pleased to accept it on your behalf. Thank you.
(Applause)
TINA TURGEL: The State EMSC Policy of Distinction Award honors an individual who has been a state public official within the past five years, has advanced state legislation promoting EMSC programs or related measures and has a statewide regional or national reputation for safeguarding the health and well‑being of our children. This year's winner is Leslie Stein‑Spenser.
(Applause)
For 18 years, Leslie served as chief of the Division of EMSC and Highway Safety for the Illinois Department of Public Health. During that time, she worked tirelessly to develop the Illinois EMS system as well as its trauma and disaster preparedness programs. In 1994, after long recognized the need for pediatric preparedness, Leslie pushed for and succeeded in obtaining initial EMS funding.
Throughout the years, Leslie's support, guidance and political skills were incredibly helpful in navigating the Illinois EMSC program through multiple hurdles and challenges. Due to her leadership and vision, she worked to establish a state EMSC advisory board, mandate pediatric protocols and equipment and supplies, establish EMT pediatric education requirements and launched a very challenging facility recognition process, among others. Through her efforts a dedicated EMSC manager position was secured through the Illinois Department of Health in 1999. Most recently, she allocated funds to support a pediatric disaster preparedness coordinator. She also took the extra effort to assure that interests of children were represented on all terrorism task force committees.
Although Leslie worked at the administrative level, she never forgot or lost touch with the first responders. During her tenure as chief, she also worked as a nurse in a local emergency department several evenings a month. It was her way of connecting with and understanding the needs and issues of front line personnel.
Leslie faithfully attended the annual MS grantee meeting serving as a presenter on several occasion, volunteered her time as a EMSC grant reviewer and advocated EMSC issues as the National Association of EMSC Directors.
With our sincere appreciation, the Federal EMSC Program is pleased to recognize Leslie with our State EMSC Policy of Distinction Award.
(Applause)
Leslie Stein‑Spenser: I'm just very touched. I dedicate this to Ronnie Lee, who helped start the program and Eval Lyons. Thank you very much. Wonderful family.
(Applause)
DAN KAVANAUGH: I'd now like to present the EMSC Community Partnership of Excellence Award. And this recognizes an organization that has taken a leadership role and made significant contribution to improving emergency care for children and their families. In addition, the recipient of this award must demonstrate an ability to work collaboratively with the state EMSC program to improve pediatric emergency care in one or more states.
And this year's award winner is Nebraska/Iowa Kiwanis Foundation.
(Applause).
Since 2000, the Nebraska/Iowa Kiwanis Foundation has partnered with the EMSC program to provide needed basic level pediatric equipment and education to EMS services in Nebraska and Iowa . Each year since then community‑based Kiwanis clubs matched by foundation funds have been able to distribute needed pediatric equipment to EMS services. To date, more than 400 services in Iowa and Nebraska have received this valuable gift of equipment and another 100 services are scheduled to receive basic level education and equipment in the near future.
But the generosity did not stop there. When the foundation's Milford Hanna, Jim Underwood, heard that the Territory of Samoa needed the same resources that were used by Nebraska and Iowa EMS personnel, they once again stepped up to the plate and made it possible for Nebraska and Iowa EMSC programs to be present to present Somoa with the first of six pediatric equipment bags.
In her nomination letter, Katrina Altenhoffman stated "Nowhere in our wildest dreams did we think a ten‑minute speech on EMSC and the needs of EMS would lead to this type of collaboration."
And these two gentlemen have served as a backbone to bring these wonderful resources to the volunteer EMS community. Here to accept the award for Outstanding EMSC Community Partnership is Kiwanis representatives Milford Hanna and Jim Underwood.
(Applause)
MILFORD HANNA: Thank you. This is indeed an honor. And first of all I want to acknowledge Jim. He's been an outstanding co‑chair of this project. And the reception of the project (inaudible) has been overwhelming. Y'all are familiar with the 80/20 rule. And I'm sure happy to report that that didn't apply in this case, because the overwhelming majority of the Kiwanis clubs in the district have participated at this point. So it's really been neat.
And I particularly want to recognize Debbie Kuhn and Katrina Altenhoffen, without whom this project would have been literally impossible and without whom some other worthy organization and individual would have received this award today.
(Laughter)
Thank you, guys.
(Applause)
JIM UNDERWOOD: One of the greatest recognitions we could have is for you folks when you go back home is to contact your Kiwanis people and see about participating in this. Kiwanis is committed to helping young children, and there's Kiwanis clubs throughout the world. So certainly where you are there's Kiwanis organizations. If you need additional information, get on the Nebraska/Iowa Kiwanis website and there's a lot of information on how Kiwanis can help you folks at the local levels. Thank you.
(Applause)
DAN KAVANAUGH: And next we have our Outstanding EMSC Research Project Award. This award highlights significant EMSC related research study that confirms current practice or has the potential to impact the provision of pediatric emergency care at the national or international level. And the project's research findings must also have been published within the past 15 months.
And this year's winning project is the Partners for Child Passenger Safety Research Team based at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia . And it's represented today by the principal investigator, Dr. Flaura Winston; one of the partners of the program, Mr. Art Ruiz, from State Farm.
(Applause)
Throughout the unique collaboration known as The Partners for Child Passenger Safety, or PCPS, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company addressed the fact that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and disability in children older than one year in the United States .
PCPS is the first academic corporate partnership that conducts surveillance on children in crashes to determine how and why children are injured or killed.
The multi‑disciplinary team assigned to PCPS is dedicated to preventing child injuries and improving pediatric emergency care through understanding the occurrence and mechanisms of child passenger injury.
PCPS created the First National Specific Child Surveillance System. The system provides the highway safety committee with a national representative database on children in car crashes. The findings have been published in numerous peer review journals. In 2004 alone, two studies were published. The first article Recent Trends in Child Restraint Practices in the United States appeared in Pediatrics and later the article Optimal Restraint Reduces the Risk of Abdominal Injury in Children Involved in Motor Vehicle Accidents Appeared in Annals of Surgery.
PCPS created and launched a new educational resource for educators, parents, care givers on the Children's Hospital website.
The site provides user friendly child passenger safety information in both English and Spanish, including videos on correct child safety seat installation, PCPS research findings have helped advance the use of child restraints, understanding of child injury mechanisms and legislative reform.
28 states and two federal laws providing both new and improved child passenger safety legislation are now in place thanks in part to PCPS' efforts to provide solid scientific evidence regarding children in crashes. For all these reasons and many more it gives me great pleasure to present these awards for outstanding EMSC project to Dr. Winston and Mr. Ruiz.
(Applause)
FLAURA WINSTON: On behalf of my co‑PI, Dennis Durban, and the entire Child Passenger Safety Team, I'm honored to accept this award. The best day for any of us who are in pediatric healthcare is one in which no child will die of a preventable injury. We're very far from that today. But I think that we're a step closer, thanks to the generosity and the commitment of State Farm. And I would ‑‑ my dream of partnering with an insurance company came true because of them, and it's now in its eighth year.
I want to thank the State Farm staff who have dedicated countless hours to creating the systems, the claims representatives, thousands of them, who identify children in crashes for us, and most importantly, the State Farm policyholders, over 400,000 of them who have shared their experiences with us on one of the worst days of their lives, a day when a child was in a crash.
I'd like to thank EMSC as well, because they're funding of our first emergency department‑based surveillance system that identified the first child who was injured in, who was killed because of an airbag really allowed us to create the Partners Project. We realized we needed a child‑specific surveillance system. And without that funding, thank you, David, thank you Dan, we would never have been able to move, to move in this direction.
And, finally, I'd like to thank my co‑principal investigator on my EMSC award, Dr. Nancy Cassam Adams for nominating us for this award.
(Applause)
ART RUIZ: I think you said most everything I was going to say, that's fine. I wanted to say on behalf of State Farm, and most importantly, as Dr. Winston pointed out, this is not just a funding mechanism. This is a true partnership. And the data is gathered by our claims reps. It's reported within 24 hours to Children's Hospital. They can get the data. And, most importantly, we accept the award on behalf of those families who, as Dr. Winston said, on some of the most traumatic days of their lives stop to share the information so that others might be helped.
For a company to enter into this kind of partnership, we had to overcome barriers of confidentiality, systems, changes, procedures to obtain parental consent, training, the buy‑in of our agents, our customers and our claim reps. But most importantly, as many of you might understand, we had to overcome the objections of our attorneys.
So I want to just thank EMSC. If I can indulge 30 seconds, could I ask you all to stand up for a minute, indulge me. Stand up, close your eyes take one hand and point north. Point up. Point up straight up. Eyes closed, now to the best of your abilities, with your eyes closed point north. Best guess. You can point north. A couple of you have to make a decision, just take a guess. All right. Now hold that position and open your eyes and look around. Okay. Sit down and I'll tell you why I did that.
In the process of trying to save lives of children in car accidents, State Farm really looked at what we could do to make a difference. And when you're all going different directions and you don't know where you're going, it's really hard to have effective change. And the partnership that we have formed with Children's Hospital has given us the direction north so we know where we're going and what we need to do. For those of you who couldn't understand, listen to any of that, north is that way. Thank you.
(Applause)
DAN KAVANAUGH: And now we come to this afternoon's final award, which is the Lifetime Achievement Award. And this award is given to an individual who is a national advocate for EMSC and who has devoted a significant part of his or her life to promoting and advancing pediatric emergency care.
This individual must have worked to change the manner in which we care for children throughout the entire continuum of care, be on numerous committees and boards at the state and national levels and have EMSC‑related works published. This time I'd like Dr. David Heppel and Dr. Jane Knapp to join me in presenting this award.
And I want to mention, first of all, that the former recipients of this award have been doctors Jim Sidell, Marty Akelberger and Cal Siah.
And the 2005 EMSC Lifetime Achievement Award is given to Dr. Robert Wiebe.
(Applause)
Dr. Wiebe has promoted the emergency needs of children over a long and very productive career. At the national level, he sits on pediatric emergency medicine committees for both the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics, the latter of which he served as chair for four years.
He served on the AAP's Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professional Steering Committee and APLS Joint Task. He's currently a member of AAP's current medical education.
To have served on so many is an outstanding contribution and tribute to his dedication and inability to say no when his talent and experience are needed to improve the lives of children.
He's been very influential in EMC initiatives regarding office preparedness for primary caretakers. He worked for years on the preparation of the ACEP AAP joint statement on the Care of the Child in Emergency Department Guidelines for Preparedness.
This document will have long‑term far‑reaching effects on the emergency care of children throughout the country. He's also worked on the AAP ACEP emergency information form and many other documents regarding children with special healthcare needs, and he spearheaded the concept and organization of a national meeting for AAP COPEM chairs which, for the first time, brought representatives of 50 states together, for the sole purpose of improving EMSC.
He has served as a principal investigator or co‑investigator on five EMSC targeted issue grants. And he's also mentored many young investigators through the process of getting their first EMSC grants. Dr. Wiebe is an extraordinary EMSC educator who has delivered numerous lectures on EMSC, has authored more than 50 journal articles and published 16 books or chapters.
He's made an impact in all areas of emergency care from the EMT to office providers and emergency physician. Dr. Wiebe's legacy to EMSC is that of a leader who never sought the personal spotlight but quietly persevered to increase public attention and evoked coordinated action at the highest national levels on the behalf of children.
I'd like Dr. Jane Knapp to come up and share some personal reflections of Dr. Wiebe.
JANE KNAPP: Thank you.
(Applause)
Thank you, Dan. I'm left a little speechless because you just said a lot of what I was going to say. But there's just a little bit left in the nomination statement that we sent to the EMSC program about Bob.
And one statement is about myself. I was proud to follow Bob as the chair of the COPEM, but found myself with some Texas‑sized shoes to fill. And that was because of really all the work that he had done or had begun during his term as chair. And I have to say that the ripple‑down effect has been really tremendous, affecting the entire continuum care of EMSC. I think every aspect of the description of this award perfectly describes Bob's commitment and service to EMSC. He's a senior statesman, a role model, mentor and one of the best friends, past, present and future that any ill or injured child in the United States could have.
As a pediatrician, a believer in emergency medical services in children, I can say that he's truly one of our finest, and I am proud that the EMSC program has chosen to recognize his career and his personal achievements with this esteemed award. Thank you.
(Applause)
ROBERT WIEBE: Thank you for all those kind words. It's certainly nice to hear them. I think they're a little exaggerated, though, but I'll accept them.
I have to admit that I was only 180 degrees off when I was pointing north. So I think that tells me that we need a compass like EMSC to help us and point us in the direction of where children's needs are, and I can tell you, personally, that nothing thrills me more than to get an award from an organization like EMSC that has done so much to improve the welfare and the health and the well‑being of children, and for that I am very grateful.
I have to also confess that anything that I've done for EMSC and EMSC activities I've gotten a whole lot more out of than I put into it. I've met a lot of innovative people both in my own discipline and in the disciplines of others, and I've shared visions and I've been fortunate enough to be able to see some of those visions come to fruition. And that's a real exciting honor, and I appreciate it.
This is especially meaningful at this 20th year of our organization, and I'm sure that although we're going through a little rough times now, I'm sure we'll see another 20. Thank you so much.
(Applause)
DAN KAVANAUGH: Thank you. I'd just like to once again congratulate all our recipients and also acknowledge our stakeholders who are a very important part in helping to provide input and provide direction to the program. Well, this actually brings us to the close of our meeting. I know it's been a very full two days. And every year I'm amazed how much everybody is doing. It's oftentimes so hard to keep track of all you are doing in the states and with all the grants. It's really amazing and really thank you for the work. The children of this nation thank you for your work and your dedication. You're really an inspiration to us at the federal program who just try to do what you want us to do and facilitate that process.
So thank you all. Have safe travels. And I know we'll be seeing each other at meetings, et cetera, over the course of the year, and talking by telephone, but I know it's great to be able to do this in person like we do and everybody get together once a year. Thank you very much.
And I would just ask that the folks who are recipients of awards and stakeholders would please come up here again. I know the photographer would like to get some photos. So thank you very much and again have safe travels home. Thank you.
(Applause)