In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week\u2122 to celebrate EMS professionals and the important work they do in our nation’s communities. National Emergency Medical Services Week brings together local communities and medical personnel to honor the dedication of those who provide the day-to-day lifesaving services of medicine’s frontline.<\/p>\n
Improving Outcomes, Together<\/strong>\u00a0extends beyond medicine. It\u2019s a collective responsibility that involves investing in the people behind the care with fair pay, safe staffing levels, mental health resources, leadership that listens and acts, and opportunities for professional growth.
\nThis week, we recognize the people behind the patch and reaffirm our commitment, as partners and communities, to\u00a0Improving Outcomes, Together.<\/strong><\/p>","excerpt":"","slug":"national-ems-week-2","image":{"url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/213\/EMS-Week-2026-social-posts_R2_EMS_Week_FB_1200x628.png","id":22387,"extension":"png","width":1200,"height":628,"filesize":918194,"sizes":{"medium":{"width":300,"height":157,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":79993,"url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/213\/EMS-Week-2026-social-posts_R2_EMS_Week_FB_1200x628-300x157.png"},"large":{"width":1024,"height":536,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":691318,"url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/213\/EMS-Week-2026-social-posts_R2_EMS_Week_FB_1200x628-1024x536.png"},"thumbnail":{"width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":45567,"url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/213\/EMS-Week-2026-social-posts_R2_EMS_Week_FB_1200x628-150x150.png"},"medium_large":{"width":768,"height":402,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":421950,"url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/213\/EMS-Week-2026-social-posts_R2_EMS_Week_FB_1200x628-768x402.png"},"sow-carousel-default":{"width":272,"height":182,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":87698,"url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/213\/EMS-Week-2026-social-posts_R2_EMS_Week_FB_1200x628-272x182.png"},"sow-blog-portfolio":{"width":375,"height":375,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":226156,"url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/213\/EMS-Week-2026-social-posts_R2_EMS_Week_FB_1200x628-375x375.png"},"sow-blog-grid":{"width":720,"height":480,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":476023,"url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/213\/EMS-Week-2026-social-posts_R2_EMS_Week_FB_1200x628-720x480.png"},"sow-blog-alternate":{"width":950,"height":628,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":758579,"url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/213\/EMS-Week-2026-social-posts_R2_EMS_Week_FB_1200x628-950x628.png"}}},"all_day":true,"start_date":"2026-05-17 00:00:00","start_date_details":{"year":"2026","month":"05","day":"17","hour":"00","minutes":"00","seconds":"00"},"end_date":"2026-05-23 23:59:59","end_date_details":{"year":"2026","month":"05","day":"23","hour":"23","minutes":"59","seconds":"59"},"utc_start_date":"2026-05-17 04:00:00","utc_start_date_details":{"year":"2026","month":"05","day":"17","hour":"04","minutes":"00","seconds":"00"},"utc_end_date":"2026-05-24 03:59:59","utc_end_date_details":{"year":"2026","month":"05","day":"24","hour":"03","minutes":"59","seconds":"59"},"timezone":"America\/New_York","timezone_abbr":"EDT","cost":"","cost_details":{"currency_symbol":"$","currency_code":"USD","currency_position":"prefix","values":[]},"website":"https:\/\/emsweek.org\/","show_map":false,"show_map_link":false,"hide_from_listings":false,"sticky":false,"featured":false,"categories":[],"tags":[],"venue":[],"organizer":[],"custom_fields":[],"json_ld":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Event","name":"National EMS Week","description":"<p>In 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week\u2122 to celebrate EMS professionals and the important work they do in our nation\\'s communities. National Emergency Medical Services Week brings together local […]<\/p>\\n","image":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/213\/EMS-Week-2026-social-posts_R2_EMS_Week_FB_1200x628.png","url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/vipta\/event\/national-ems-week-2\/","eventAttendanceMode":"https:\/\/schema.org\/OfflineEventAttendanceMode","eventStatus":"https:\/\/schema.org\/EventScheduled","startDate":"2026-05-17T00:00:00-04:00","endDate":"2026-05-23T23:59:59-04:00","performer":"Organization"}}