Skip to Content

Special Needs Tracking and Awareness Response System (STARS)

Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida offers the Special Needs Tracking and Awareness Response System (STARS) (Copyright© 2025 SSM Health): a free service that helps emergency teams care for children with complex medical needs. STARS gives local first responders the tools and information they need to provide fast, skilled care during emergencies. It’s designed to reduce stress for families and improve outcomes for patients when every second counts.

It expanded to Golisano Children’s Hospital in April 2022, bringing this life-saving resource to our Southwest Florida community. Together, we’re building stronger partnerships between families, hospitals, and emergency responders—so kids in our region get the right care at the right time. 

What is STARS?

STARS is a confidential database that stores your child’s vital medical information, such as:

  • Medical conditions
  • Medications and allergies
  • Vital signs and neurological status
  • Emergency equipment
  • Specific care instructions, including DNR orders

If you ever need to call 911, EMS crews can access this information before arriving—so they’re ready to act right away. This helps reduce delays, prevent unnecessary treatments, and lowers stress for families, child, and the healthcare team. 

The success of STARS depends on a strong partnership between families, EMS providers, and hospital teams. This trusted collaboration helps ensure that medically fragile children receive the most appropriate care—whether at home, in an ambulance, or at the emergency room.

How to Enroll in STARS

If your child has special medical needs, signing up for STARS is easy andSTARS logo can help during an emergency. A STARS Coordinator will meet with your family to create a care plan that includes important details like your child’s medical history, medications, allergies, and any equipment they use. Your child will receive a secure ID number linked to this plan, which can be shared with EMS teams and hospitals in Southwest Florida. This helps first responders give the right care quickly.

Families should stay in touch with their care team to keep the plan up to date. To get started, talk to your child’s doctor or care team.

To enroll, call STARS at (239) 343-6242 or email [email protected]

We're Here for You

Who Can Benefit from STARS?

STARS is especially helpful for children with:

  • Cardiac conditions
  • Neurological disorders
  • Severe or chronic medical needs


  • End-of-life care instructions or DNR orders
  • Tracheostomies or ventilator dependence


Personalized Emergency Care Plans

Each child enrolled in STARS has a customized emergency care plan. These plans are written specifically for EMS and emergency department teams and include:

  • Medical history and diagnoses
  • Medications, allergies, and special precautions
  • Baseline vital signs and behavior
  • Common medical emergencies
  • Life-sustaining equipment and step-by-step response instructions

Frequently Asked Questions About STARS

After recognizing a child with a complex care need, the STARS Coordinator will arrange an initial visit with the family or coordinate their care from the hospital side. We will create a detailed form of the child’s medical history, medications, allergies, baseline vital signs, baseline neurological status, common medical emergencies, child’s medical equipment, and any cautionary measures that need to be taken. The child will then be assigned a special number to identify them in the database, which is accessible by EMS crew members and the emergency departments in case of an emergency. 

Children with complex or chronic medical conditions that may require specialized emergency care are eligible for STARS. This includes children with heart conditions, neurological disorders, ventilator dependence, tracheostomies, or end-of-life care plans such as DNR orders. If your child has a serious medical need that could affect how first responders provide care, STARS can help.

When you call 911, EMS teams in Southwest Florida can securely access your child’s STARS record using their assigned ID number. This gives them important medical details before they arrive, helping them respond faster and more effectively. All STARS information is stored securely and only shared with EMS teams and hospital staff during emergencies. The program follows strict privacy and HIPAA guidelines.
 

When a child enrolled in STARS calls 911, EMS teams can access their medical history, medications, allergies, and emergency care instructions before they arrive. This means first responders can act faster, more accurately, and with greater confidence—providing the exact care your child needs from the very beginning.

It’s important to update your child’s STARS record any time there is a major change in their condition, medications, or equipment. Staying in touch with your care team ensures that first responders always have the most accurate information.To update, call STARS at (239) 343-6242 or email [email protected].

STARS is completely free for families. It’s a community service offered to help ensure children with medical needs receive the best possible care in emergencies.

Call STARS at 239-343-6242 or email [email protected]

View Our Pediatric Emergency Medicine Doctors

Pediatric Emergency Department Services & Specialties

We designed our state-of-the-art Emergency Department with children in mind. We invite you to learn more about special features, tests we perform, our child advocacy program, and what to expect when you visit us.

Child Advocates in the ED
two children doing handstands
Pediatric ED FAQs
Woman holding baby and playing
Pediatric ED: Tests & Special Features
Mother with daughter on shoulders
Pediatric ED: The Right Time to Visit
Family photos
Pediatric ED: What to Expect
Child laughing