(A) The EMSC Program must include, but is not limited to, the establishment of:

(1) initial and continuing education programs for emergency medical services personnel that include training in the emergency care of infants and children;

(2) guidelines for referring children to the appropriate emergency treatment facility;

(3) pediatric equipment guidelines for prehospital care and emergency department;

(4) guidelines for EMT, AEMT, and paramedic emergency medical technician certification for administering epinephrine to children suffering from a severe allergic reaction;

(5) guidelines for the voluntary designation of pediatric emergency departments;

(6) guidelines for pediatric trauma centers;

(7) an interhospital transfer system for critically ill or injured children;

(8) in conjunction with the South Carolina Data Oversight Council, the collection and analysis of statewide pediatric emergency and critical care medical services data from emergency and critical care medical services for the purpose of quality improvement by these facilities and services, subject to the confidentiality requirements of Section 44-61-350;

(9) injury prevention programs for parents;

(10) public education programs on accessing the emergency medical services system and what to do until the emergency medical services personnel arrive;

(11) guidelines for the appropriate response to children and their families before, during, and after a disaster;

(12) incorporation of pediatric disaster preparedness training into initial and continuing education programs for emergency medical services personnel;

(13) assistance with the development of disaster plan strategies that address pediatric surge capacity before, during, and after a disaster for both injured and noninjured children.

(B) In gathering statewide pediatric emergency and critical care medical services data, the department shall rely upon, to the extent possible, data from existing sources; however, the department may contact families and physicians for the purpose of gathering additional data and providing information on available public and private resources. Information requested from a physician's office must be obtained pursuant to Section 44-115-10. Patient contact following data received from the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office must be conducted in accordance with regulations approved by the South Carolina Data Oversight Council and promulgated by the Office of Research and Statistics.

HISTORY: 1998 Act No. 323, Section 1; 2006 Act No. 320, Section 3, eff June 2, 2006; 2010 Act No. 157, Section 3, eff May 11, 2010.

Code Commissioner's Note

Pursuant to the directive to the Code Commissioner in 2018 Act No. 246, Section 10, "Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office" was substituted for all references to "Office of Research and Statistics of the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office".