The Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) Coalition provides technical assistance to ESRD Networks, Medicare organizations, and other groups to ensure timely and efficient disaster preparedness, response, and recovery for the kidney community.
Parents play a crucial role in supporting their children during times of disaster. Just as they consult their child’s doctor for health issues, they can also reach out to healthcare providers, mental health professionals, or school staff for assistance and guidance in the aftermath of a disaster event. These tools, provided by the County of Los Angeles, provide guidance in (English and Spanish) for seeking psychological first aid following a disaster.
All hospitals should plan for pediatric patients arriving during a disaster. Developed and shared by the New York City of Department of Health, the following document addresses the issues surrounding pediatric emergency care during a disaster.
Particular aspects of emergency care for children may be especially difficult for rural hospitals to meet, as they often have less access to pediatric and emergency medicine trained physicians.
Developed and shared by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, these clinical checklists, guides, and just-in-time references to manage a surge of pediatric patients.
Developed by the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles & LA County EMS Agency, this resource provides essential strategies for hospitals to enhance their emergency preparedness for a pediatric surge event.
Shared by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), this tool addresses the special medical needs of children, and emphasizes how health care facilities must be prepared for both pediatric and adult victims of bio-terrorism attacks, including those resulting from dispersal of airborne or food borne agents.
The Joint Commission requires all hospitals to have disaster plans in place, however the formulation of hospital guidelines specific to pediatrics is often overlooked.
Following the Loma Prieta earthquake, patients’ access to care was severely impacted by temporary closure of several dialysis facilities. These closures demonstrated an obvious need for additional disaster preparedness for dialysis facilities.
Hospitals and health care facilities operating dialysis or opioid treatment programs can learn about emergency preparedness to assist before, during, and after a critical event.