Ensuring Disaster Preparedness in Pediatric Health Care

Every year, 175 million children globally are affected by natural disasters.

The devastation from major hurricanes like Helene and Milton put more attention on the lasting effects that these natural disasters have on children, and how children’s hospitals and health systems can be ready to provide high-quality pediatric care in these and other emergencies.

Since 2021, the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) has collaborated with the Pediatric Pandemic Network (PPN) to share resources and expertise so pediatric health care facilities can effectively respond to current and future crises.

Strengthening advocacy

CHA works with PPN to better understand what is happening on the ground at children’s hospitals, focusing on emergency preparedness challenges such as infectious diseases, environmental disasters, drug shortages, and security threats.

This relationship allows us to act as a barometer to help CHA anticipate threats and shape our advocacy efforts.

For example, CHA collected insights from more than 40 hospital and health system members and PPN participants to develop a report urging policymakers to prioritize pediatric needs during a pandemic, disaster, or emergency situation. The report focused on the nation’s pandemic preparedness and disaster response infrastructure and gaps that exist between the way health care delivery and support systems are designed for children compared to adults.

Through biweekly meetings, CHA and PPN stay informed about legislative developments and strengthen our ability to speak up for children to ensure their needs are considered in future pandemic and disaster planning.

Exchanging learning

Beyond advocacy, CHA's partnership with PPN allows us to share education and research so we can enhance the resilience and response of clinicians, families, and communities during a crisis.

PPN provides free tools and preparedness resources to help children’s hospitals and communities prepare to meet the needs of children and improve readiness during these critical times.

Some of the free resources include:

• Introduction to Disaster Medicine: Gain skills in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery to protect patients and improve outcomes.
• Pediatric Behavioral Health in Disaster: Learn to identify trauma, manage PTSD, and provide effective interventions for pediatric patients affected by disasters.
• Trauma, Triage, and EMS in Disasters: Master pediatric triage, trauma care, and EMS protocols to make lifesaving, informed decisions in chaotic emergency situations.

PPN education efforts include their catalog of courseware, resource database, and continuing education platform.

Improving readiness

Fourteen children’s hospitals across the country serve as regional hubs for improving care for all children in pandemics and disasters, and every day. These hub sites work with systems in health care, disaster preparedness, and emergency management sectors to provide education and develop plans to better address the unique needs of children and their families.

In Utah, Primary Children’s Hospital found consistent gaps in disaster preparedness at rural hospitals. If the hospital has a disaster plan at all, it often doesn’t account for pediatric components.

“Everyone worries about pediatrics, especially those in rural areas where they don’t have a lot of resources,” said Hilary Hewes, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Primary Children’s. “They all feel emotional about kids and want to feel more prepared. It’s just a matter of finding the time and resources to do that.”

The hospital has engaged over 300 Utah EMS agencies and pediatric emergency care coordinators in disaster education. Their annual training has reached more than 100 school nurses and MRC groups, and monthly pediatric disaster briefings occur across 33 Intermountain Health hospitals.

The hospital system also provides training beyond disaster preparedness, helping improve readiness across a 600,000-mile region so rural hospitals can handle common pediatric emergencies such as sepsis and seizures.

Efforts are guided by the National Pediatric Readiness Project (NPRP) assessment, which evaluates how ready hospitals are to care for children based on the latest national pediatric emergency care guidelines. Primary Children’s interventions helped one emergency room team in rural Wyoming raise its score by 25 points in two years.

Continuing collaboration

Disruptions in pediatric health care associated with climate disasters or a pandemic can have a significant impact on children’s mental and physical health and their long-term well-being.

It is essential for hospitals and emergency responders to be ready to address the unique needs of children during emergency situations and for our nation to stay aware of the challenges rural and children’s hospitals face during these critical times.

CHA and PPN will continue to ensure children’s hospitals are better equipped to protect children, support families, and save lives.

Also explore how Texas Children’s Hospital and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital are preparing for natural disasters and developing climate resilience plans.