Focus on Pediatric Preparedness within Healthcare Coalitions

Pediatric Specific Challenges Identified

• Coordinators span great geographic distance
• States have unequal systems
• Verbiage differences between large pediatric facilities and critical care facilities
• Lack of full understanding of the abilities of neighboring facilities
• Families are often hours away from definitive pediatric care

Working Together

• Establish a database with information on the capacity of each facility and the types of pediatric physicians
• Include in the database information such as NICU levels, transport teams, surgeons, inpatient psychological options, etc.
• Full contact information for each facility, including demographics, staff, bed availability, after-hour contacts
• Be sure to share real-time event reporting of where help is needed and what is available to assist
• Use social media to share toolkits, information, and communicate with the coalition

What’s Next?

• Find out who serves as the emergency manager or preparedness manager at the hospital
• Review some models of those who are doing it right
• Freestanding children’s hospitals
• Southeastern Regional Pediatric Disaster Response Network
• Burn Centers have a good model of regional coalition work in regards to communication.
• Find a coalition that is active near your location, also talk to local fire, ems, and emergency management department

Pediatric patients matter and should be accounted for in the planning stages. if you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out.