EMS Day on the Hill 2014

Last week I had the awesome experience of attending the 5^th Annual EMS Day on the Hill sponsored by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians in Washington D.C. EMS Day on the Hill is an opportunity to educate our representatives at the federal level of government about EMS and the challenges we face on a daily basis as providers and managers. 190 EMS providers from various services and of all different certification levels attended and completed 242 meetings with federal legislators or their staff this year.

Before you get excited or think, “I don’t know anything about politics.” The NAEMT people have taken care of all of that. About a week before the event, they sent me an email with a basic schedule and information on the bills that are currently in progress. The evening before we went to Capitol Hill, they held a briefing reviewing information on the current bills, the atmosphere in Washington, and other recent events that might affect conversations the next day during our meetings. Along with our delegation meeting schedules, NAEMT provided us with briefing sheets on the bills at hand and any other pertinent information like phone numbers to people at the event if we needed help and a map to get around Capitol Hill. They also made packets for us to leave with representatives or their staff for their review after our scheduled meetings. We were seated by state delegations and after the briefing there was a networking event so we could get to know the other members of our delegations and discuss our plans for the next day. Everyone was friendly and happy to answer any questions.

Group Photo of 2014 Attendees

The next morning, my delegation met in the hotel lobby and migrated to our first meeting. Our delegation was a mix of veterans and novices to lobbying. Those that had participated before lead the way at the first few meetings until the rest of us were comfortable to take part as well. The staff that we met with were all attentive and interested in what we had to present. One staffer even let us know that she learned something new from us about EMS and how we provide service and the challenges we face in doing so. Many were aware of the changing climate of EMS and how the Affordable Care Act might affect us in the future. The bills NAEMT presented during these meetings were: The Field EMS Bill and Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act. We also promoted The EMS Caucus.

While going to Capitol Hill and participating in our nation’s government and being able to walk through the halls of history that make our country great was exciting, meeting fellow providers that believe and continue to work toward the future of our profession was even more amazing. My hope for the future of EMS was renewed via these conversations and I gained new insights into possible solutions for recurring issues that affect our profession. There is momentum and direction at the top, the rest of EMS needs to unite and place the power of our voices and votes behind this movement if we are ever going to progress and become a true profession.

I learned many things in the few days I spent in Washington, chief among them that I still have much more to learn. EMS providers need to put aside certifications, department affiliations, and petty differences if we are going to advance as a whole profession. Others see our division and don’t take us seriously because of it. Lobbying for EMS is not just one day a year. Speak to and educate your local and state officials about what we do and what our needs are, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you have the opportunity to attend EMS Day on the Hill next year or at any time in the future, jump on it! You will be glad you did!