January 2019

The NHTSA Office of EMS is pleased to welcome four new staff members. Each of them brings a valuable and unique background to the Office and they look forward to contributing to an improved emergency system of care.

The Office of EMS hosted the EMS Agenda 2050 National Implementation Forum in the fall of 2018, where leaders from EMS, healthcare and public health discussed the future of EMS and how to come together to create a people-centered EMS system.

With the opioid crisis at an all-time high, the Office of EMS is supporting a review of the research and evidence related to prehospital pain management to find safe and effective methods to reducing patients’ pain.

Twenty-three leaders representing different sectors within EMS were recently appointed to two-year terms on the National EMS Advisory Council. They met for the first time in October to discuss a number of issues facing EMS systems today and set priorities for the council.

The Federal Interagency Committee on EMS met in December to address a range of EMS topics, including improving prehospital care for trauma victims and the upcoming publication of the National EMS Assessment 2020.