{"id":19330,"date":"2021-05-05T11:25:32","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T15:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/emergency-medical-services\/?page_id=19330"},"modified":"2021-05-17T11:03:09","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T15:03:09","slug":"ems-week-2021","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/emergency-medical-services\/ems-week-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"EMS WEEK 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"
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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 16 – 22, 2021. EMS for Children Day, May 19<\/strong>, focuses on the pediatric patient and the specialized care required when providing treatment to them.<\/p>\n

EMS Week recognizes the dedication of 36,383 EMS providers and 569 agencies in Virginia. We commend their continued efforts to provide lifesaving care and their commitment to the EMS system. During the pandemic, EMS providers in the Commonwealth and across the nation have responded to an immeasurable crisis, which has required planning and adaptation in order to take care of the people in our communities. We are finally starting to see some progress with the administration of vaccines and encourage all EMS providers to get vaccinated. Getting vaccinated will be our way out of the pandemic. \u200b<\/span>For more information about COVID-19 vaccination\u200bs near you\u200b<\/span>, visit:\u00a0https:\/\/vaccinate.virginia.gov\/<\/a>. Everyone in Virginia age 16 or older is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine now!<\/p>\n

This past year has been tough! Responding to the pandemic has required a lot of strength, determination and resolve, but we want to remind emergency responders that if they are in need of help, please “make the call<\/a>.” During 2018 to 2019, our research discovered that\u00a03 out of every 5 EMS providers<\/b> in Virginia believed they experienced burnout, traumatic stress, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal tendencies or some combination of all of these.<\/p>\n

If you or someone you know is struggling, THERE IS FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL HELP AVAILABLE 24\/7<\/b>\u00a0specifically for emergency responders: Fire\/EMS Helpline:<\/a><\/b>\u00a01-888-731-FIRE (3473)<\/b>. Emergency Responder Crisis Text Line:<\/a><\/b>\u00a0Text \u201cBADGE\u201d to 741741<\/b>. 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\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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National EMS Week will feature a theme for each day of this special week. Learn more about EMS Week at:\u00a0www.acep.org\/emsweek<\/a>. Download a copy of the planning guide at:\u00a0EMS Week 2021 \u2013 This is EMS: Caring for Our Communities.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The 2021 National EMS Week themed days are as follows:<\/strong><\/h4>\n