N.Y. Public Health Law § 3071: Declaration of purpose

§ 3071. Declaration of purpose. Sudden illness and injury in children

within the state of New York are responsible for five percent of all

ambulance calls in children under ten years of age, ten percent of all

ambulance calls in children under eighteen years of age, twenty-five

percent of emergency department visits in urban areas, and forty percent

of emergency department visits in rural areas. More than fifty percent

of all such emergencies are caused by traumatic injuries, which alone

are responsible for more than half of all childhood deaths within the

state of New York regardless of cause. The provision of timely and

effective emergency medical services for children, including pediatric

emergency medical, trauma, and disaster care, are therefore public

health priorities of the highest order. It is the purpose and intent of

this article to ensure that such services are immediately available to

all children within the state of New York.