The mission of this program has been to administer, maintain, and operate a State comprehensive emergency medical services system throughout Hawaii that is designed to reduce medical emergency deaths, injuries, and permanent long-term disability through the implementation of a fully integrated cohesive network of related components. The state system provides for the arrangement of personnel, facilities and such equipment, primarily in the pre-hospital setting, for the effective and coordinated delivery of health care services under emergency conditions whether occurring as a result of the patient's condition, natural disasters, or other causes.

Injury Prevention -The Emergency Medical Services System Branch was enhanced by inclusion of the Department of Health's Injury Prevention and Control Program. Two closely interrrelated, interdependent programs merged into a mutually advantageous association. The merger created an efficient and effective administrative structure for broad based community planning and development of Emergency Medical Services and injury prevention and control.The integration of injury prevention and control into the State Emergency Medical Services System now provides for a "medical home" for injury prevention within ambulance service communities.

Injury prevention is the first phase of an effective Emergency Medical Services System, including public education and prehospital medical care from onset of sudden life threatening injury or illness until arrival at an appropriate medical facility.The use of Emergency Medical Services injury data, which is augmented with highway safety and hospital discharge data, is vital information to assist communities in developing injury prevention programs. Nationally, Injury Prevention Programs are recognized as an integral component of Comprehensive Emergency Medical Services Systems. The local consolidation of these two programs has strengthened the Department of Health's role as a central clearinghouse for injury prevention data and programs.