Emergency Communication and Information Center (ECIC)

Children’s National's Emergency Communication and Information Center (ECIC) is a state-of-the-art facility open all day, every day of the year. Our dedicated team connects community hospitals and primary care offices with Children’s emergency department specialists, and dispatches and monitors all ground and air teams.

All of our communications specialists are EMT-B (emergency medical technician-basic) trained, and the majority are additionally certified by the National Association of Air Medical Communications Specialists (NAACS). Children’s ECIC:

• Coordinates Transport Medicine when ground or air response is needed
• Acts as liaison with fire, emergency medical services (EMS) and private ambulance services
• In the event of a disaster, the center coordinates communications for all hospitals through the Washington D.C. Hospital Association Hospital Mutual Aid Radio System (HMARS) System
• Provides weather support through local network NBC4 4Winds Weather Network

Contact Information

Community emergency and primary care providers can access our emergency physicians and refer patients 24 hours a day through our Emergency Communication and Information Center (ECIC) by calling Children's Lifeline at 202-476-5433 or 800-476-5433.