UHC Receives Always Ready for Kids Recognition
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on February 07, 2018
The Federal Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program is designed to ensure that all children and adolescents, regardless of where they live, attend school or travel, receive appropriate care in a health emergency.
This program is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration’s 
Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Since its establishment, the EMSC Program has provided grant funding to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories.
Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Since its establishment, the EMSC Program has provided grant funding to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories.
The West Virginia Always Ready for Kids (ARK) Project is designed to ensure that all hospital emergency departments demonstrate an established plan and/or the ability to manage medical and trauma pediatric emergencies. The goal of ARK is to create an effective and sustainable method to ensure that children who need treatment for life threatening illnesses or injuries have access to appropriate facilities, equipment and trained personnel. United Hospital Center has either met or exceeded these standards.
“This recognition further validates that the emergency physicians and nurses at UHC meet and exceed the standards for children in a medical emergency,” said Thomas Marshall, M.D., medical director, United Hospital Center Emergency Department, assistant professor, WVU Department of Emergency Medicine. “We are trained to provide the highest level of care to all patients. We feel privileged to have received such an honor.”
Benefits of becoming an ARK recognized facility include:
• Creating a culture driven to continue improvement of pediatric patient outcomes, availability of equipment, services, and up-to-date treatment policies and protocols.
• Increasing the public’s confidence in overall quality of a hospital’s ability to address medical needs of children.
• Recognizing physicians, nurses, specialists, and other staff for their knowledge, abilities, and commitment through their employment in an ARK recognized facility; therefore, demonstrating a hospital-wide commitment to excellent health care of West Virginia’s pediatric population through their support of the project.
• Increased exposure in your community as a facility prepared for addressing critical pediatric needs during a medical or trauma emergency. This will be visible in the form of a plaque displayed in your facility’s emergency department and through listing your facility on the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, West Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services’ website, and additionally through promoting this accomplishment through local and/or statewide media outlets.
• Utilizing it as a recruiting and marketing tool to attract high quality physicians, nurses, and other healthcare specialists.
• Enhancing potential educational and grant offerings developed for rural hospitals and staff.
