Pediatric Preparedness & Response
Ensuring that all healthcare systems are prepared to care for children on a daily basis lays the foundation for a swift and coordinated response during emergencies.
About the Pediatric Disaster Champion Resource
The Pediatric Disaster Champion Resource is provided in partnership with Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC).
The purpose of the “Pediatric Disaster Champion Resource” is to provide insight and a framework to help pediatric champions become familiar with the needs of children in disaster situations. It is an educational tool, and an adjunct resource to the "Checklist of Essential Pediatric Considerations for Every Hospital’s Disaster Policies." The goal is to help pediatric champions understand what pediatric considerations are needed in disaster planning; to identify available training and educational resources to support disaster leadership teams; and to advocate for and support the inclusion of children within the hospital disaster plan. This document is not meant to add more responsibilities for individuals or to create a new position for disaster within the ED. This document's authors understand that a facility's level of disaster preparedness Is based upon each institution's capacity and capabilities.
This resource provides key information to get started in ensuring that pediatric patients are included in disaster planning. As every institution has a defined set of resources, the intent is merely to highlight opportunities that could align with current capacity and capabilities. It will be helpful to review the disaster checklist prior to reading this resource.