Disaster Response Collaborative

The Disaster Response Collaborative (DRC) continued the work of the Disaster Networking Collaborative (DNC), and are initiatives of the Pediatric Pandemic Network (PPN). These initiatives support ongoing efforts to form a network of children’s hospitals that are (individually and collectively) prepared to respond to disasters and pandemics. The goal of the DRC was to improve pediatric disaster response capability and capacity among children’s hospitals.

Strategic response efforts in caring for children during emergencies, disasters, and pandemics are necessary. Children under 18 years of age comprise about a quarter of the population; however, they represent more than 50% of the population in some places. Children’s hospital disaster response plans can be more robust in addressing pediatric priorities.

This collaborative focused on four priority areas: evacuation, reunification, surge, and triage/infection control/decontamination. The DRC supported children’s hospitals to improve in a selected priority area so the facility and staff can provide quality care for all children when and where it is needed during an emergency, disaster, or pandemic. The DRC provided guidance and resources to enable participants to implement improvements and to use tabletop exercises and drills (and provided tools) to monitor and track improvements in disaster response.

Through education, networking, sharing of evidence-based practices, and exchanging new ideas and strategies, the DRC also supported the workforce resiliency of employees at children’s hospitals by improving their knowledge, skills, and job satisfaction.