Building Culture and Gender Responsive Emergency Services

Every year, millions of Californians face an emergency or urgent medical situation resulting in an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) response. The California Emergency Medical Services Authority estimates that California EMS providers receive over 6 million calls every year. In 2019 alone, California’s emergency departments handled 14.9 million visits. Within communities of color, patients are equally or more likely to be admitted to the hospital through the emergency department as the entry point for services as compared to white patients. In part, this is due to unequal access to preventative care, higher rates of uninsurance, and structural, cultural, and linguistic barriers in receiving care.