About Us

The Emergency Health Services Federation

 

Mission & Values

We are commitment driven to enhance quality EMS in South Central Pennsylvania

Our mission sounds simple. However, the Emergency Health Services Federation takes pride being a leader for the EMS system.

Our goal is to evaluate the system and identify objectives to enhance the quality of EMS throughout the eight counties of South Central Pennsylvania: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, and York.

The Emergency Health Services Federation values its EMS providers, EMS agency leadership, and other partners within the EMS system. The Emergency Health Services Federation fully recognizes the impact YOU bring to enhance the quality. With that said, we are here to listen and advocate to foster a safe and effective system.

 

Who We Are

The Emergency Health Services Federation is a nonprofit organization granted by the Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services as a Regional EMS Council to develop, maintain, and improve the EMS system for a specific geographical area. We are the Regional EMS Council for the eight counties of South Central Pennsylvania: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, and York. Although we have been a designated Regional EMS Council since the inception of the initial EMS Act, we were an EMS-centric organization for over 30 years.

 

What We Do

The Emergency Health Services Federation lists our EMS providers and EMS agencies as our first priority among all tasks we fulfill.

Education

The Emergency Health Services Federation works with a variety of education partners to provide enhanced training to prospective and current EMS providers. We accredit education institutes to provide EMS certification courses for various EMS levels of certification. We process continuing education sponsors to provide EMS continuing education toward certification requirements and enhance the skill quality of our providers. We work to approve new course content, and we strive to develop new educational experiences for our EMS providers and EMS agency leadership.

Provider Certification

The Emergency Health Services Federation assists with initial EMS provider certification and registration of certification for existing EMS provider certification

  • Initial Certification:
    • We assist prospective providers to find a certification class within the region.
    • We process the provider certification application for prospective providers.
    • We administer the psychomotor (practical) exam.
    • We assist prospective providers to locate a Pearson Vue Center to take their cognitive (written) exam.
    • We process initial certification.
  • Renewal Certification:
    • We assist providers to remind them of the expiration date of their current certification registration.
    • We verify continuing education requirements and current CPR is met.
    • We process renewed certification materials.
  • Reinstatement
    • We help PA EMS providers who did not renew the registration on their certification before the expiration date.
    • Contact us to learn the requirements and receive a packet to bring your PA certification to an active status.
  • Certification by Endorsement
    • We help EMS providers holding an active certification from another state or through National Registry EMT to obtain Pennsylvania EMS certification.
    • Contact us to learn the requirements and receive a packet to obtain PA certification using certification from another state or NREMT.

Agency Licensure

We process initial licensure applications, triennial renewal licensure application, and licensure amendments to reflect changes among our EMS agencies. We conduct inspections of the EMS agency's units and administrative requirements.

EMS System

We identify areas for system advancements. We provide clinical guidance regarding the EMS scope of practice and EMS protocols. We conduct regional quality improvement initiatives. We promote the growth of Community Paramedicine/Mobile Integrated Health. We accredit medical command facilities to provide medical command to EMS providers. We assist with preparedness activities. We work with the eight county 9-1-1 centers who all use Emergency Medical Dispatching and support interoperability across county lines. We coordinate regional EMS Week activities. We investigate complaints.

 

EHSF Annual Report

EHSF 2022 Annual Report