Emergency medical services for children: the New Jersey model

Identification of specific facilities within a community for the emergency department (ED) treatment of children is a traditional component of Emergency Medical Services for Children systems. In such models, these Emergency Departments Approved for Pediatrics are the preferred EDs to receive patients from Emergency Medical Services providers. This article examines an alternative model developed in New Jersey in which every ED in the state is required by regulation to meet the standards of a traditional Emergency Departments Approved for Pediatrics. The New Jersey model leads to more accessible care and more rapid stabilization of children regardless of their mode of delivery to the ED.