The success of life-saving teams depends on cutting edge best practices in the field of emergency medicine. The Emergency Medicine Learning & Resource Center (EMLRC) is dedicated to promoting and advancing emergency medicine education. The EMLRC is a non-profit 501(c)(3) education and research foundation that offers state of the art emergency medicine, disaster response/management, and public health education and support to emergency medicine and disaster specialists nationwide. It plays a major role in educating the entire emergency team – the 911 dispatchers, EMTs, paramedics, firefighters, emergency nurses and physicians, and disaster and trauma specialists - through nationally-recognized conferences, on-site educational courses, a new Mobile Simulation Lab, joint symposiums with the new UCF Medical School, Burnham Institute, and Florida’s major hospitals and local community colleges.

Given Florida’s booming population, and the fact that one in three Floridians will require emergency care each year, the EMLRC is planning a new, larger and improved facility, to be built on land adjacent to Orlando International Airport. The 35,000 square foot center will feature a primary educational center; breakout lab areas with state-of-the-art simulation equipment; and distance learning capabilities.

The EMLRC has launched a $6 million Capital Campaign. The Campaign is a public/private partnership that seeks $3 million in government funding and another
$3 million in philanthropic gifts. To date the EMLRC has raised nearly $3 million from sources that include the Federal Government, the state of Florida, members of the Florida College of Emergency Physicians, medical groups, and vendors of emergency medical equipment and services. To achieve this goal, the EMLRC is seeking outright gifts from individual "grateful patients," corporations, grant making foundations and special groups that want to make a difference by being lifesavers as well.

When completed, the EMLRC is expected to have $10 million annual economic impact on Central Florida. This figure is based on the Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau estimate that the average conference attendee spends nearly $1,200 per person. The EMLRC estimates that over 8,000 emergency medical professionals will attend its conferences, seminars and symposiums in any given year.

As part of the medical cluster that includes the UCF Medical School, the Burnham Institute, and the Veterans Hospital, the growth of the EMLRC will further improve emergency medicine through continued innovative and technological advancements in healthcare education and research activities. Whereby, enabling the highest quality of healthcare being provided to Florida’s residents.