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Few pediatric facilities, first responder agencies and communities in the United States are prepared to handle large-scale disasters, terrorist events or public health emergencies involving children. In a time of crisis, it is essential to ensure the needs of children are being met in planning and preparing for disasters, terrorist and public health emergencies. Pediatric preparedness models and resources with elements that can be replicated at pediatric health care institutions, health departments, communities and first responder agencies around the country need to be created.
The Program for Pediatric Preparedness of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University is based on the need to establish appropriate management and intervention for children in all types of disasters, terrorism events including chemical, radiological or biological weapons or public health emergencies. The National Center for Disaster Preparedness enables collaboration amongst public health policy, opinion, and advocacy, community-based response preparedness, and emergency management preparedness. Within this collaborative academic program The Program for Pediatric Preparedness addresses the unique the specific needs of children in disaster, terrorism and public health emergencies.
Mission
The mission of The Program for Pediatric Preparedness is to assure that the unique needs of children, including physical, mental health and psychosocial, including children with special health care needs and technologically assisted children, are being addressed in disaster, terrorism and public health emergency planning, preparedness, response and recovery.
Goals
The Program for Pediatric Preparedness plans to fulfill its mission through the following goals:
- Assess the pediatric preparedness for children at the community, facility, local, regional and national level.
- Conduct and foster research on pediatric disaster, terrorism and public health emergency preparedness and response.
- Provide resources to children, parents, communities and local, regional and federal governmental agencies and non- governmental organizations on pediatric preparedness including mental health, psychosocial needs, addressing children with special health care needs and technologically assisted children.
- Build collaboration amongst the many disciplines and occupations that must work together to assure children are properly cared for in disasters, terrorism events and public health emergencies.
- Advocate for children in all forums related to preparedness, planning, response, recovery and mitigation.
Educational and Informational Programs
- Quarterly newsletter on pediatric issues and preparedness.
- Informational bulletins on new and emerging pediatric issues.
- Expert advisory board to help guide development of preparedness tools.
- Web site with resources for pediatric disaster, terrorism and public health emergency preparedness
MODEL COMPONENT FOR STATE DISASTER PLANS
Overview
Children have needs that are often poorly considered, if at all, in disaster planning.
Goals
The goal of this EMSC targeted issues grant is to assess the unmet needs of children and provide federal, state, local and private disaster response organizations with the informational tools to enhance their response systems by creating a Model Pediatric Component for State Disaster Plans.
PEDIATRIC PREPAREDNESS FOR DISASTERS AND TERRORISM:
A NATIONAL CONSENSUS CONFERENCE
Overview
In a time of crisis, it is essential to ensure the needs of children are being met in planning and preparing for disasters and terrorist events. The current adult model and guidelines cannot be applied to the care of children. In the past efforts to prepare for the needs of children in disaster and terrorism preparedness programs were hampered by an absence of recommendations, standards and treatment guidelines for children. In order to facilitate such guidelines and recommendations the Program for Pediatric Preparedness held a National Consensus Conference on Pediatric and Disaster Preparedness.
Goals
In an unprecedented conference held in Washington DC, February 2003, 70 subject matter experts from 36 governmental agencies and non-governmental organization with expertise in disciplines involved in the planning for and care of children during times of disaster and terrorist events met. The goals of this meeting were to:
- Build collaboration among individuals with expertise in pediatrics, pediatric emergency medicine, pediatric critical care, pediatric surgery, and emergency management, including disaster planning, management, and response.
- Review and summarize the existing data on the needs of children in disasters, including planning, preparation and response.
- Develop consensus on the needs of children in disasters.
- Create a research agenda and to address knowledge gaps based on the limited data that exist on the needs of children in disasters and terrorism events.
The final recommendations and treatment guidelines which were published in an Executive Summary of the conference focused on eight major areas:
- emergency and prehospital care
- hospital care
- emergency preparedness
- terrorism preparedness and response
- mental health needs
- school preparedness and response
- training and drills
- future research agenda and funding
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