Pediatric Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness: A ... - PHE Home

Federal Response
The United States has established a robust emergency medical support infrastructure to respond
to disasters at local, State, regional, and Federal government levels. Many response resources are
deployable and can be relocated to accommodate varying disaster scenarios. Other response
resources are integral to established health and medical systems in our country and provide
health care to Americans and others on a daily basis. Populations with specific emergency
medical needs in disasters—such as neonatal, pediatric, or adolescent populations—have limited
support that is quickly available and specifically designed for to meet their urgent life-sustaining
needs.
Response resources dedicated to pediatric populations continue to be inadequate for most
emergency medical response activities related to disasters, even though victims often include
children. Many children were injured or killed during the attacks on the World Trade Center in
New York City and the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, and countless more witnessed these
events. These experiences highlight the need to include pediatric and other special populations in
local, State, regional, and Federal disaster medical planning. Table 2.1 depicts the types of
disasters that my require Federal assistance.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is the lead Federal agency for public
health issues. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of 12 DHHS agencies,
provides support to the Department in carrying out its mission. CDC priorities include disease
prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion and education activities.
Within CDC, the Director’s Emergency Operations Center (DEOC) operates 24 hours a day, 7
days a week to provide emergency consultation and assistance to clinicians, State and local
health agencies, and citizens. The DEOC can be reached at 770-488-7100. The Clinician
Information Line (877-554-4625) is available to clinicians 24 hours a day to provide guidance on
the management of patients suspected of having bioterrorism-related illnesses and, when
necessary, can refer pediatricians to agent-specific subject matter experts.
Pediatricians can register to receive real-time CDC updates about preparing for (and possibly
responding to) terrorism and other emergency events at
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/clinregistry/index.asp.
For more information about CDC’s organization and overall mission, see
http://www.cdc.gov/aboutcdc.htm.
Department of Homeland Security
Within the last decade, because of the severity of manmade disasters and their devastating effects
on life and safety, as well as the increased threat of terrorism, the Federal Government has
positioned itself to respond promptly to any future terrorist events that may occur in the United
States. A key step was creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2002. One of
its missions is to minimize damage and assist in recovery from terrorist attacks that occur within
the United Sates.
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