Community Engagement and Pediatric Disaster Readiness in a Large Urban Disaster Resource Hospital Network: The Case of “The Great California ShakeOut”

Abstract

<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title><jats:p>We examined the response of 11 Los Angeles County (LAC) hospitals designated as Disaster Resource Centers (DRCs) to a statewide, earthquake preparedness drill, LAC's most comprehensive earthquake disaster drill to date. Semistructured interviews were conducted with the coordinators of 11 of the 14 LAC DRCs within 3 weeks of the drill. Interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was supported by analytical software (Atlas.ti). Except for one pediatric specialty DRC, most DRCs did little to fully test their institutions' capacity to manage pediatric patients. Few DRCs included children as mock victims. Little or no attention was focused on pediatric triage and other pediatric clinical, psychosocial, and resource issues. Respondents maintained that community readiness is hampered by compartmentalizing the preparedness planning, training, and drilling. Without a mandate to coordinate with other agencies, few DRCs reported coordination with other community entities. Those that did were in smaller submunicipalities within LAC. Community coordination is critical to effective response to disasters, yet disaster preparedness planning and drills are most often uncoordinated and compartmentalized. Drills and training need to be transdisciplinary and coordinated with other community entities likely to play a role in pediatric disaster management.</jats:p><jats:p>(<jats:italic>Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness</jats:italic>. 2012;6:182–186)</jats:p>

Engagement and Education

“…Particular attention should be given to especially vulnerable populations, such as those with specific functional needs and those who have historically been marginalized. 99 , 100 Although the task force suggests that critical care providers need to be actively involved in community engagement initiatives, no clear mechanism to ensure these opportunities exists.…”

Are Tertiary Care Paediatricians Prepared for Disaster Situations?

“…Preparedness studies are very fragmented, studying limited populations in very specific situations, and mainly highlighting the absence of pediatric disaster preparedness. 5,[27][28][29] Surge capacity in pediatric hospitals mainly is discussed in a theoretical way and mainly focused on IC settings. 19,30,31 Data on factors promoting willingness to work are more widely available, but always in a context of pandemic situations.…”

Planning for the Pediatric Patient During a Disaster

“…This study highlighted the importance of a large trauma system with a robust communication system. The Los Angeles County disaster network underwent further simulation testing with an earthquake drill in 2008 [35]. The drill was an opportunity for hospitals to combine their independent disaster response plans into a community-wide effort.…”