The West Virginia Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for Children Program hosted the second annual pediatric symposium at the Summit Bechtel Reserve Oct. 5-8, 2025. The program is housed within the West Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS).

The symposium offered hands-on simulation training, educational classes and special programming for children.

“We had such great success during last year’s symposium, we knew this was something we wanted to bring back year after year,” OEMS Director Joseph Ratliff said. “Our EMS for Children Program is an integral part of OEMS as it works to improve outcomes for children across prehospital and emergency department settings.”

“This year, EMS for Children celebrates its 41st anniversary,” EMS for Children Coordinator Erin Timbrook said. “In that time, we have made great strides in ensuring that some of the youngest and most vulnerable West Virginians are receiving the best emergency care possible, and this symposium helps make sure we can continue that vital work for another 40 years and beyond.”

“OEMS is one of the lifelines of this state. Our EMS providers are the ones on the front lines helping our people in often the darkest and scariest times of their lives,” Secretary of Health Dr. Arvin Singh said. “I am proud of their unwavering dedication to the pursuit of knowledge in the field. These events only strengthen our skills and our resolve for the moments we need them the most.”

The symposium offered more than 30 educational classes designed to help EMS providers and nurses sharpen their skills and expand their knowledge of the pediatric patient. Classes included Identifying Child Physical Abuse in the Field, EMS Resiliency, Ensuring Pediatric Readiness for High Stress Emergencies, Pediatric Ventilation, Pediatric Skills, Drowning, Provider Mental Health Awareness, Death of a Child in the Field and more.

Participants also gathered at the Summit’s Yamagata Lodge to participate in a Mountaineer Mile, an initiative started by Governor Patrick Morrisey to prioritize health, fitness and positive daily habits.

To learn more about EMS for Children, click here.