Disaster Preparedness

From the Michigan Bureau of EMS & Trauma.

During a disaster or pandemic illness, hospitals may receive critically ill or injured children and be charged to triage, treat and stabilize them while awaiting assistance or transport to a pediatric specialty center. In an effort to further prepare hospitals for the surge of pediatric patients that may occur during a disaster, MDHHS BETP has worked with regional pediatric leadership personnel to develop this toolkit. The goal is to provide hospitals with useful, scalable and achievable strategies and tools for providing protection, treatment and acute care for children during a disaster.

Post-Disaster Reunification of Children: A Nationwide Approach illustrates the significance of whole community collaboration and inclusive emergency planning by providing a comprehensive overview of the coordination processes necessary to reunify children separated from their parents or legal guardians in the event of a large-scale disaster and reflects how the whole community—to include nongovernmental organizations such as Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, faith-based and community organizations, disability and pediatric organizations, Federal and private sector partners, and civic action committees—can work together to achieve one wide ranging mission.

FEMA, HHS, American Red Cross, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. November 2013.

The National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO) Pediatric Emergency Care (PEC) Council discerned a need for a simple tool to help State EMS Offices identify where possible gaps might still exist in the area of pediatric disaster preparedness. The report of the National Commission on Children and Disasters was used as a guide in developing checklist items that might assist in identifying potential gaps; perhaps in the process further educating State EMS Office personnel in the area of disaster planning.

October 2014

From the HHS Office on Child Abuse and Neglect: This manual builds the foundation for successful outcomes when first responders encounter incidents, including disaster situations, in which child maltreatment might be suspected.

Created by the AAP Disaster Preparedness Advisory Council Subcommittee on Reunification Planning in collaboration with the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Disaster Medicine.

This planning tool focuses on providing guidance to hospitals that will help them create or update their plans to support family reunification after a disaster. This tool is scalable and is intended to be useful in smaller, more localized incidents (eg,shootings, motor-vehicle collisions) as well as in large-scale disasters (eg, terrorist attacks, natural disasters). This tool is meant to build on the plans that hospitals already have in place to care for unidentified patients and for children. While this tool is written in a manner that provides mostly high-level, quick-reference information, it includes enough background and operational-level detail to provide sufficient context to facilitate planning.