Breaking Down Silos: Pediatric Disaster Preparation and Management

Breaking Down Silos: Pediatric Disaster Preparation and Management

Is your community ready for a disaster event involving children? Well, it’s time to get ready. In this episode of The Pediatric EMS Podcast our guest experts recount firsthand experience of Hurricane Katrina and the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas as they guide you through the necessary components of preparing for the next pediatric disaster event. We have experts in Disaster Medicine, EMS, and Pediatric Emergency medicine to give you critical insight into planning, preparation, management, and recovery. Let’s get started!

Brought to you by The National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP)

Hosts: Dr. Joelle Donofrio-Odmann and Dr. Joseph Finney

Website:

https://sites.libsyn.com/414020/breaking-down-silos-pediatric-disaster-preparation-and-management

Direct Download:

https://traffic.libsyn.com/34eda738-c0e3-471c-94e6-5d7bb718e70f/Episod_3.mp3

Editing and Publication: Joseph Finney

Technical Support: Phil Moy

Narrator: Joseph Finney

Content Experts:

Heidi Abraham

Emergency Medicine Physician and Deputy Medical Director for Austin Travis County EMS and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Dr. Abraham is the Medical Director for The New Braunfels Fire Department in New Braunfels, Texas

Brent Kaziny

Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician and Medical Director of Emergency Management at Texas Children’s Hospital. Brent is co-director of the disaster domain of the EMS for Children Innovation and Improvement Center (EIIC). He is also on the executive core of The Pediatric Pandemic Network (PPN).

Amyna Husain

Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician and Pediatric Medical Control Chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Husain works nationally with the AAP and The Pediatric Pandemic network. Dr. Husain is also involved in the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center regarding special populations (NETEC).

Mark X. Cicero

Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician, Disaster Physician, and EMS Physician. Dr. Cicero serves as the education lead for the Pediatric Pandemic Network as well serving on the National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters.

Jeff Siegler

EMS Physician and Emergency Medicine Physician at Washington University School of Medicine Dr. Siegler is the Medical Director of Saint Louis Children’s Hospital Special Needs Tracking and Awareness Response System (STARS) as well as Medical Director for both an EMS district and a Fire Department in Saint Louis. Dr. Siegler works with local SWAT teams as the team physician.

Kate Spectorsky

Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Disaster Medicine Physician at Saint Louis Children’s Hospital in Association with Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Spectorsky is involved with the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Disaster Preparedness.

Critical Components of Disaster Management:

• Preparation
• Communication
• Adaptation
• Reunification
• Caring for responders
• Quality Improvement
• Caring for survivors

Resources for preparing your hospital or agency:

• The Pediatric Pandemic Network
  • https://pedspandemicnetwork.org/
• EIIC
  • Prehospital Emergency Care Coordinators
    • https://emscimprovement.center/collaboratives/pecclc/
  • The Pediatric Readiness Project
    • https://emscimprovement.center/domains/pediatric-readiness-project/
  • American Academy of Pediatrics: Disaster Medicine
    • https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/disasters-and-children/
  • Resource for Disaster Preparedness
    • https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/aap-voices/pediatric-readiness-for-the-everyday-emergency-and-disasters/
  • CDC Resource: Caring for Children in a Disaster
    • https://www.cdc.gov/childrenindisasters/index.html
  • Ethical implications of diversity in disaster research
    • Hunt MR, Anderson JA, Boulanger RF. Ethical implications of diversity in disaster research. Am J Disaster Med. 2012 Summer;7(3):211-21. doi: 10.5055/ajdm.2012.0096. PMID: 23140064.

MPRT: Mobile Pediatric Response Team

• https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1553-2712.2012.01289.x

Talking To Children about Disaster Events:

• Be proactive, don’t wait for the child to start the conversation
• What is the child’s understanding of the event
• Ask what they are feeling
• Express support
• Seek additional support from counselors and healthcare experts
• Keep communication open
• Know that healing is a life-long process so support them on their journey
• Watch for warning signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety, and Depression
  • Milestone regression
  • Acting out
  • Introversion
  • Behavioral changes
• Resource for helping children cope with disasters
  • https://www.cdc.gov/childrenindisasters/helping-children-cope.html
  • https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/news.html
  • https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/early-care/tip-pages/all/talking-with-children-about-the-news
  • https://www.npr.org/2019/04/24/716704917/when-the-news-is-scary-what-to-say-to-kids
  • https://www.apa.org/topics/journalism-facts/talking-children
  • Podcast
    • https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9wb2RjYXN0cy52cHIubmV0L2J1dC13aHk/episode/cHJ4XzMyNl80YjQ2NGMwNy1mODcyLTRlYmQtOTZjNy1kOWU4YWVhNTA1YWQ?hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwj_iciylNT6AhVwLkQIHf_jA6sQjrkEegQICBAF&ep=6