Pediatricians' Experiences 80 Miles up the River: Baton Rouge Pediatricians' Experiences Meeting the Health Needs of Evacuated Children

Tobias, David; Gordon, Stewart; Melton, Jamar A.; Funes, Christopher M.; Collinsworth, H. Jay; Vicari, Roberta C.

doi:10.1542/peds.2006-0099k

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…During the response to Hurricane Katrina, initial inadequacy of supplies for pediatric patients was noted by the pediatricians in Baton Rouge and Houston. 20,21 To prevent similar future inadequacies locally, SKC disaster planners must consider: (1) creating caches of pediatric medical supplies and equipment within or near to the areas of highest population density of children; (2) identifying local facilities where these medical supplies and equipment could be utilized; and (3) developing a plan for mobilizing pediatric healthcare providers from areas of over-abundance to the affected pediatric population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographical Maldistribution of Pediatric Medical Resources in Seattle-King County

King

Koelemay

Zimmerman

et al. 2010

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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Objective:Seattle-King County (SKC) Washington is at risk for regional disasters, especially earthquakes. Of 1.8 million residents, >400,000 (22%) are children, a proportion similar to that of the population of the State of Washington (24%) and of the United States (24%). The county's large area of 2,134 square miles (5,527 km2) is connected through major transportation routes that cross numerous waterways; sub-county zones may become isolated in the wake of a major earthquake. Therefore, each of SKC's three sub-county emergency response zones must have ample pediatric medical response capabilities. To date, total quantities and distribution of crucial hospital resources (available in SKC) to manage pediatric victims of a medical disaster are unknown. This study assessed whether geographical distribution of hospital pediatric resources corresponds to the pediatric population distribution in SKC.Methods:Surveys were delivered electronically to all eight acute care hospitals in SKC that admit pediatric patients. Quantities and categories of pediatric resources, including inpatient treatment space, staff, and equipment, were queried and verified via site visits.Results:Within the seven responding hospitals of eight queried, the following were identified: 477 formal pediatric bed spaces (pediatric intensive care unit, neo-natal intensive care unit, general wards, and emergency department), 43 informal pediatric bed spaces (operating room and post-anesthesia care unit), 1,217 pediatric nurses, 554 pediatric physicians, and 252 infant/pediatric-adaptable ventilators. The City of Seattle emergency response zone contains 82.1% of bed spaces, 83.5% of nurses, and 95.8% of physicians, yet only 22.8% of all SKC children live in that zone.Conclusions:The majority of hospital pediatric resources are located in the SKC sub-region with the fewest children. These resources are potentially inaccessible and unable to be redistributed by ground transportation in the event of a significant regional disaster. Future planning for pediatric care in the event of a medical disaster in SKC must address this vulnerability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographical Maldistribution of Pediatric Medical Resources in Seattle-King County

King

Koelemay

Zimmerman

et al. 2010

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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“…These providers, whose practice locations may vary widely throughout a community, may have a small safety net for their practices during major catastrophes and may quickly become overwhelmed by a disaster's impact while being called on to serve vital community functions. 19,23 Conditions may result in the inability to get to the office because of impassable roads, inability to instruct patients because of disrupted telephone lines, and lack of access to medical records as well as loss or damage to equipment or medical supplies, such as medications or vaccines, because of power outages. 16 Patients in need of higher-level care may receive treatment in an ambulatory setting because emergency transfer services are not functioning, modes of communication between providers and hospitals are interrupted, or a receiving hospital is not responding.…”

Section: Altered Health Care Environment and Practice During A Disastermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6,13 Over the past decade, that experience has been memorialized to help us understand how disaster conditions alter the provision of medical care and create liability risks for providers who are working in those conditions. 6,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Society benefits when pediatric providers move quickly to address the emergency needs of children during disasters, regardless of the circumstances. 4,25 For providers who live and work within harm's way of a disaster, this would mean reporting to work despite likely personal obstacles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Liability Risks and Protections for Pediatric Providers During Disasters

et al. 2019

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Although most health care providers will go through their careers without experiencing a major disaster in their local communities, if one does occur, it can be life and career altering. The American Academy of Pediatrics has been in the forefront of providing education and advocacy on the critical importance of disaster preparedness. From experiences over the past decade, new evidence and analysis have broadened our understanding that the concept of preparedness is also applicable to addressing the unique professional liability risks that can occur when caring for patients and families during a disaster. Concepts explored in this technical report will help to inform pediatric health care providers, advocates, and policy makers about the complexities of how providers are currently protected, with a focus on areas of unappreciated liability. The timeliness of this technical report is emphasized by the fact that during the time of its development (ie, late summer and early fall of 2017), the United States went through an extraordinary period of multiple, successive, and overlapping disasters within a concentrated period of time of both natural and man-made causes. In a companion policy statement (www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2018-3892), recommendations are offered on how individuals, institutions, and governments can work together to strengthen the system of liability protections during disasters so that appropriate and timely care can be delivered with minimal fear of legal reprisal or confusion.Drs Santucci and Anderson substantially contributed to the conception and design of the policy statement and technical report, analysis and interpretation of information and references, writing of specific portions of the manuscripts, critical review, and revisions; Dr McDonnell substantially contributed to refining the conception and design of the policy statement and technical report, analysis and interpretation of information, critical review, and revisions; Dr Altman was responsible for the original ideas, conception, and design of the policy statement and technical report, acquisition and analysis of information and references, design of articles, outline of topics, draft of both manuscripts and writing of specific portions, compilation of other authors' contributions, editing, critical review and revisions, and response

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“…Non-family physicians in another city reported their discomfort caring for patients outside their specialty; the general chaos of the situation resulted in physician encounters with evacuees for whom they were not trained to care. 13,14 Other physicians noted the diffi culty in planning for patient arrivals, because buses said to contain children were actually full of adults. 12 • An integrated health network that oversees the main hospital, clinics, and pharmacies is well equipped to handle the complexities of a major disaster.…”

Section: Lessons Learnedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caring for a Surge of Hurricane Katrina Evacuees in Primary Care Clinics

Edwards¹,

Young²,

Lowe³

2007

The Annals of Family Medicine

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Primary care physicians are rarely mentioned in medical disaster plans. We describe how a group of mostly family physicians and administrators of the JPS Health Network (JPS) took primary responsibility for 3,700 evacuees of Hurricane Katrina who came to Tarrant County, Texas. JPS provided medical care to 1,664 (45%) evacuees during a 2-week period. The most common needs were medications for chronic illnesses and treatment of skin infections (primarily on the feet). The JPS Emergency Department saw only 148 evacuees, most of whom arrived by their own transportation and were not seriously ill. JPS created a triage center located several miles from the hospital that referred almost all evacuees with health care needs to a primary care clinic. It was an effective approach for caring for the medical needs of disaster victims and prevented an emergency department and hospital from being overwhelmed. The JPS experience may guide future planning efforts for natural or manmade disasters, especially pandemic threats.

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Pediatricians' Experiences 80 Miles up the River: Baton Rouge Pediatricians' Experiences Meeting the Health Needs of Evacuated Children

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Geographical Maldistribution of Pediatric Medical Resources in Seattle-King County

Geographical Maldistribution of Pediatric Medical Resources in Seattle-King County

Understanding Liability Risks and Protections for Pediatric Providers During Disasters

Caring for a Surge of Hurricane Katrina Evacuees in Primary Care Clinics

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