The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement in recognition of National Emergency Medical Services Week, which spans May 20-26.

"We recognize the tremendous role that EMS practitioners make to improve health in communities across the nation," Nicole Lurie, MD, MSPH, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at HHS, said in a news release.

"Their commitment to ensuring that patients receive the best medical care available, anytime and anywhere, is instrumental to advancing the health, safety and well-being of the American people."

Lurie noted that more than 36 million patients received care in 2011 from EMS professionals, whose ranks include nurses, EMTs, paramedics, dispatchers, physicians, researchers, educators, administrators and supervisors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, EMS professionals respond to nearly 16.6 million transport calls every year and work in approximately 15,000 EMS systems across the country.

"EMS is an essential part of building a resilient healthcare system that functions efficiently and effectively every day and is capable of responding to disasters and public health emergencies," Lurie said.

Lurie leads a new HHS work group charged with improving coordination of support for EMS nationally. "We will identify gaps in day-to-day emergency medical capabilities, and collaborate within HHS and with the emergency medicine communities to bridge those gaps so we better serve this professional community and improve emergency care nationwide," she said.

In January, the CDC released "Guidelines for Field Triage of Injured Patients," endorsed by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and the Emergency Nursing Association, among other agencies. It is available as a PDF at http://bit.ly/KwLWog.