National EMS Week

In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS practitioners and the important work they do in our nation’s communities. Back then, EMS was a new profession, and EMS practitioners had only just started to be recognized as a critical component of emergency medicine and the public health safety net.

A lot has changed since then. EMS is now firmly established as an essential public function and a vital component of the medical care continuum. On any given day, EMS practitioners help save lives by responding to medical emergencies, including heart attack, difficulty breathing, a fall or accident, drowning, cardiac arrest, stroke, drug overdose or acute illness. EMS may provide both basic and advanced medical care at the scene of an emergency and en route to a hospital. EMS practitioners care for their patients’ medical needs and show caring and compassion to their patients in their most difficult moments.

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You can find a list of ten ways to celebrate EMS practitioners here, but the best way to celebrate these brave, hardworking individuals is to thank them personally. Have a story about how an emergency medical technician impacted your life? Maybe saved it? Share it with them! Send a note or a thank you card to your local division. You can find the name and address of your regional EMS specialist here.

 

Legal Aid’s Disaster Relief Project would like to thank ALL of the EMS workers in each of Nebraska’s 93 counties for being partners in a thorough disaster response plan for the state.