Wisconsin has 129 emergency departments (ED) that treat community members statewide. When children are ill or injured, parents and caregivers typically seek care at the closest ED. While convenient, the closest ED may not be optimally equipped or resourced to care for children.
Professional organizations have developed national guidelines that define readiness to provide high-quality pediatric emergency care, and an ED’s ability to meet these guidelines can be objectively measured by the National Pediatric Readiness Assessment. Overall in Wisconsin, community EDs’ Pediatric Readiness score averaged 66.25 out of 100, with some EDs scoring as low as 30.
A new $520,000 workforce development grant from the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW), a statewide philanthropy based at the Medical College of Wisconsin, will enhance access to quality, evidence-based pediatric emergency care in Wisconsin and address health inequities in rural and community EDs. Through this award, project partners aim to develop, test, and refine a Pediatric Readiness Implementation Guide founded on criteria established by the National Pediatric Readiness Assessment to support community EDs in providing quality, evidence-based pediatric, emergency care.
Dr. Michael Kim, associate professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics, will lead the project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and will work with Wisconsin EMS for Children, the Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin, and many other groups to achieve their goal.
This project is one of 17 projects recently funded by AHW aimed at improving health and advancing health equity across Wisconsin.
Community Partners
Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Emergency Medical Services for Children
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
American Academy of Pediatrics-Wisconsin Chapter
Wisconsin Department of Health Services Office of Preparedness and Emergency Health Care