CSU celebrates National Emergency Medical Service Week May 17-23 and honors the hundreds of thousands of EMS practitioners serving our communities across the nation. This year’s theme is “EMS Strong”, which acknowledges the challenging circumstances this profession faces daily while performing their significant duties. Lead CSU faculty member Dr. Jeannie Riner describes this year’s slogan as “not just a phrase for me. By comparison with other allied health professions, EMS continues to be young and continues to grow as an industry. Although our personnel have to work under two directives, healthcare and public safety, our professionals continue to rise to the challenge to meet all expectations demanded of them. I have been blessed to work with some of the strongest people I have known for over two decades. It is an honor and privilege to be able to assist with the continued growth of the profession through education. We are strong professionals and our continued pursuit of education will only serve to strengthen the infrastructure necessary to take EMS to the next levels; joining our peers in both healthcare and public safety.”
In 1973, President Gerald Ford authorized EMS Week to celebrate EMS, its practitioners and the important work they do responding to medical emergencies. Coming on the heels of Congress passing the Emergency Medical Services Systems Act, the first EMS Week celebrations were held when EMS was a fledgling industry.
At that time, EMS practitioners were only beginning to emerge as a critical component of emergency medicine, the public health safety net and in helping to safeguard the health and well being of communities. Today, they stand as essential personnel to the nation’s first-response teams.
CSU is proud to be associated with the EMS education industry and thanks all EMS practitioners for their incredible efforts to save lives daily.