EMS Week 2022

Virginians rely on Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel to respond to the call for help and to provide quality prehospital care during their greatest time of need. National EMS Week is May 15 – 21, 2022. EMS for Children Day, May 18, focuses on the pediatric patient and the specialized care required when providing treatment to them.

EMS Week recognizes the dedication of 37,758 EMS providers and 564 agencies in Virginia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers have been challenged beyond measure and continue to provide emergency care with the utmost expertise and professionalism. Last year, EMS providers responded to more than 1.59 million calls for help in Virginia, which represents approximately 4,360 incidents per day. 

These past few years have been especially challenging due to the pandemic response efforts, but we want to remind emergency responders that if they are in need of help, please “make the call.” During 2018 to 2019, our research discovered that 3 out of every 5 EMS providers in Virginia believed they experienced burnout, traumatic stress, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal tendencies or some combination of all of these.

If you or someone you know is struggling, THERE IS FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL HELP AVAILABLE 24/7 specifically for emergency responders: Fire/EMS Helpline: 1-888-731-FIRE (3473). Emergency Responder Crisis Text Line: Text “BADGE” to 741741. The Emergency Responder Crisis Text Line is a global not-for-profit organization providing free confidential crisis intervention via SMS message. Learn more: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/emergency-medical-services/2020/05/13/end-the-stigma/

National EMS Week will feature a theme for each day of this special week. Learn more about EMS Week at: www.acep.org/emsweek.

The 2022 National EMS Week themed days are as follows:

  • Sunday is “Health, Wellness, and Resilience Day” to promote the health, wellness and resilience of EMS providers and patients.
  • Monday is “Education Day” to highlight both public education programs and EMS provider education;
  • Tuesday is “EMS Safety Day” to promote safety for the EMS provider, the patient and the public;
  • Wednesday is “EMS for Children Day” to highlight the special needs of the pediatric patient;
  • Thursday is “Save-A-Life Day”/”National Stop the Bleed” to promote CPR and Stop the Bleed, which is citizen bleeding control education, “Until Help Arrives” – active bystander training, public CPR programs and other related education programs;
  • Friday is “EMS Recognition Day” to recognize your local EMS heroes and those saved by the EMS system.

Please join us in recognizing the inspiring contributions of our extraordinary EMS providers, as we thank them for their dedication to serving their neighbors and communities.

 

EMS Week in Virginia Shareable Content: