The federal Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program supports projects in the states to expand and improve emergency medical services for children who need treatment for life threatening illnesses or injuries. The program has funded pediatric emergency care improvement initiatives in every state, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. The EMSC Program has developed several measurable goals (Performance Measures) for its grantees to ensure continued progress in critical areas of pediatric emergency care. Oregon is striving to improve its operational capacity to provide pediatric emergency care by, among other initiatives, increasing the number of: ambulances with essential pediatric equipment and supplies, emergency medical services agencies providing physician-directed care at the scene of an emergency, and hospitals with written agreements to transfer critically ill and injured children to facilities capable of handling their needs.