EMSC State Partnership Regionalization of Care (SPROC)

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This announcement solicits applications for the EMSC State Partnership Regionalization of Care (SPROC) Program. The Institute of Medicine, Future of Emergency Care: Key Findings and Recommendations Fact Sheet, June 2006, highlighted some key concerns regarding the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system and emergency departments (EDs). Overall EMS and EDs are not well equipped to handle pediatric care; most children receive emergency care in general (not children's) hospitals, which are less likely to have pediatric expertise, equipment, and policies in place for the care of children; children make up 27 percent of all ED visits, but only 6 percent of EDs in the U.S. have all the necessary supplies for pediatric emergencies; many drugs and medical devices have not been adequately tested on, or dosed properly for children; and while children have increased vulnerability to disasters, disaster planning has largely overlooked their needs. The EMSC Program is seeking proposals to support projects that aim to reach beyond state borders to overcome barriers to specialized pediatric medical and trauma services. Delayed access to specialized healthcare services is an everyday experience for the communities and residents in tribal, territorial, insular, and rural locations due in large part to geography and limited resources. Oftentimes, children are transported outside their community on an adhoc basis in which the choice to transport is made on an event-by-event basis. This grant looks to support efforts to establish policies and procedures that would develop and institute an organized, preplanned, pre-event process that is well prepared to locally manage or immediately transport the injured or critically ill child without delay. In part, the development of a regionalized system will: identify the local capabilities of each jurisdictions healthcare system to optimize the sharing of resources; establish a process to manage and treat acutely ill and severely injured children in the populations of focus (communities and residents in tribal, territorial, insular, or rural) geographical areas through Agreements of Consultation, Telemedicine, and other innovative approaches; and facilitate access to and retrieval of clinical data to provide safe, more timely, efficient, effective, equitable, and patient-centered care. The outcome of this demonstration project would be: the development of models for regionalized care that could be adapted in other rural areas or even applied to disaster preparedness; established collaborations and partnerships beyond state borders to efficiently and effectively improve the quality and access to specialized pediatric medical services for the populations of focus in the tribal, U.S. territorial, insular, or rural locales; and an identified technology and network infrastructure that will create the desired integration. Applicants must demonstrate established relationships with the populations of focus (tribal, U.S. territorial, insular or rural locales). Applications must include an innovative partnership-building plan that assures collaboration between U.S. jurisdictions and tribal, territorial, insular, or rural communities and residents; and must be in compliance with Executive Order 13166 "Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency." It is expected that State Partnership applicants will be a conduit for access to pediatric resources and that the populations of focus will be an expert on the type of innovations that will address the needs in their local jurisdiction. Additional resources and references are included in the Appendices section of this grant funding opportunity announcement.

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