EMSC State Partnership Rural Expansion Program | HRSA 21 108

Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 21 108

The EMSC State Partnership Rural Expansion Program (HRSA-21-108) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), under CFDA 93.127. It offers supplemental funding to support a time-limited demonstration project designed to strengthen emergency medical services for children (EMSC) in rural, remote, and/or tribal communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The central aim is to improve access to age-appropriate, high-quality pediatric emergency care by addressing known readiness gaps across both prehospital EMS systems and hospital emergency departments (EDs) in areas that often face workforce shortages, long transport times, limited pediatric specialty access, and fewer resources for pediatric-focused training and quality improvement.

The supplemental funds are intended to build on and advance the existing priorities and performance measures of the EMSC State Partnership Program rather than creating an entirely separate effort. Applicants are expected to target practical, measurable improvements that help pediatric patients receive the right care at the right time, from the moment 911 is called through EMS assessment and transport and into ED evaluation and treatment. The program emphasizes readiness, coordination, and systems improvement, recognizing that pediatric emergencies are relatively infrequent in many rural settings, which can make maintaining pediatric competencies, equipment, protocols, and quality processes more difficult without dedicated structure and support.

Applicants may choose one or both of the program objectives tied to established HRSA EMSC performance measures. Objective 1 focuses on increasing the number of hospitals in rural, remote, and/or tribal communities that achieve recognition through a state, regional, or territorial pediatric medical recognition program, aligning with HRSA performance measure EMSC 04. In practical terms, this objective supports work that helps hospitals meet pediatric readiness standards, such as having appropriate pediatric policies and procedures, ensuring necessary pediatric equipment and medications are available, strengthening training and competencies for pediatric emergencies, and using continuous quality improvement practices that include pediatric-specific metrics.

Objective 2 targets the prehospital side of the system by increasing the number of pediatric emergency care coordinators (PECCs) in rural, remote, and/or tribal EMS agencies, aligning with HRSA performance measure EMSC 02. PECC roles are typically used to create consistent leadership and accountability for pediatric readiness within EMS agencies, including pediatric-focused training, equipment checks, protocol updates, data review, and coordination with receiving hospitals and regional partners. By expanding PECC coverage in rural and remote EMS agencies, the program aims to reduce variation in pediatric care capabilities and improve the reliability of pediatric assessment, stabilization, and transport decisions across large geographic areas.

Beyond these core objectives, HRSA encourages applicants to incorporate strategies that respond to state-identified needs made more urgent or more visible by the COVID-19 pandemic. The notice highlights several priority areas that applicants can integrate into their projects: pediatric behavioral and mental health needs (including crisis response and safe ED management), trauma-informed care approaches, recognition and management of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), culturally responsive care (especially important in tribal and diverse rural communities), and the identification and response to child abuse and neglect. These focus areas reflect real-world pressures rural systems have faced during the pandemic, including increased mental health presentations, disrupted social supports, and evolving clinical demands.

Key administrative details in the notice include an anticipated five awards and an original application closing date of June 25, 2021, with the funding instrument listed as a grant. The eligible applicant category is listed broadly as "Others," with clarification referenced in the opportunitys eligibility section. Overall, the opportunity is structured to help state and local EMSC partners rapidly strengthen pediatric emergency readiness where it is often most fragile, using targeted supplemental support to improve pediatric recognition in hospitals, expand pediatric leadership capacity in EMS, and address pandemic-related pediatric care challenges through measurable system improvements.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "EMSC State Partnership Rural Expansion Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.127.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 22, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 25, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for HRSA 21 108

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