Family Reunification

Family reunification is an important part of disaster medicine and essential for pediatric preparedness. Yet, it is often an afterthought in the planning process. To lead a successful disaster implementation and coordinated family reunification, supplies, and strategy must be considered before an event happens. Region V for Kids developed five modules to help guide hospitals through the essential steps to build an effective family reunification plan during a pediatric disaster or hazard event.

Module 1: Essential Elements of a Hospital Family Reunification Plan

This module will go through the pre-work necessary for reunification efforts and a process of implementation during the event, including registration, intake, tracking, and definitive identification.

Module 2: Facility Logistics

This module will provide clear understandings of each of the three reunification entities including hospital family reunification center, pediatric safe area, and family reunification sites; and help planners start to consider how to plan or coordinate planning with organizations for each of these areas in their own setting.

Module 3: Information Sharing, Security Concerns and Legal Considerations

This module will discuss the processes and implementations necessary for a successful reunification effort with regards to information sharing, security concerns and legal considerations

Module 4: Plan Activation and Exercising Family Reunification Plans

In this module, you’ll learn how to activate and carry out a reunification plan in a hospital setting—turning policy into real-time action when it matters most.

Module 5: Demobilization, After-Action Reports & Recovery

This module will cover when demobilization should occur, who should participate in the after-action report, what education should occur during the recovery phase, and any behavioral health focuses that may be needed after a disaster.