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 over 6 million calls every year are received. In 2019 alone, California’s emergency departments handled 14.9 million visits. Unfortunately, limited data and research documenting the experience of communities of color with the EMS system prevent targeted interventions and system transformations in service of equity.
People Power for Public Health (PPPH), a project of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, and generously supported by the CARESTAR Foundation and the California Health Care Foundation, seeks to fill this gap by documenting and uplifting the experiences of communities of color. Through a large survey, listening sessions and key informant interviews that comprise PPPH, this brief is guided by the voices of community members to inform recommendations for system transformation to advance health equity.