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

• MPERTS should be able to mobilize rapidly.
• Cooperation with regional disaster command is essential.
• Choosing the appropriate venue for the staging of the disaster response is critical:
o Providing enough room upfront to create a scaled-down version of an emergency
department, including an area for observation and isolation, is critical.
• Mental health care and social services should be made available to the evacuated
population as early as possible.
• A centrally located functional communication device (e.g., phone, cell phone, radio) is
crucial to successful implementation; it provides access to additional essential staff and
services quickly, on an ongoing basis.
• There should be a planned exit strategy:
o The clinic should not be allowed to outlive its resources.
o Once the cost of running the clinic outweighs the cost of referring those patients
to the emergency department, the clinic should close its doors.
Environment
Many of the environmental problems that occur after a natural or manmade disaster are typical
and predictable. These problems include temperature extremes; lack of clean water, food, and
electricity; and environmental hazards not usually present before the event. See Table 11.1 for
some of the more common environmental conditions and hazards that are likely to be present
following a disaster.
Medical Needs
The medical needs of children and families are also predictable and consistent because they
closely match the needs of the affected children and communities before the disaster. See Table
11.2 for common pediatric medical issues, challenges, and adaptations that can be expected after
a disaster.
A Final Word
Timely response and appropriate medical management are essential to minimizing injuries and
maximizing survival when a disaster occurs. Being prepared ahead of time is the key to timely
and appropriate medical care. Children and other vulnerable populations have special needs that
must be considered in the course of planning for a mass casualty event.
Pediatricians can play a very important and unique role in advocating for the needs of children
and families who seldom receive enough attention in disaster planning. Response resources
dedicated to pediatric populations remain unavailable or extremely limited for most emergency
medical response activities related to disasters, even though victims often include children. To
address this shortcoming, it is vitally important that pediatricians and other representatives of
special populations take part in local, State, regional, and Federal disaster planning to ensure
appropriate care for the most vulnerable populations.
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