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Pediatric Response Planning for Hospital Emergency Preparedness
Whether you are from a pediatric-specific or general hospital, children present unique needs that require special attention during a disaster. Most kids receive emergency care in hospitals which may not be properly trained and supplied for this vulnerable population. This workshop will address what to do when you must care for children in your own facility.
Accreditation organizations and the ASC Committee on Trauma Guidelines provide requirements in planning for special populations, including children. This can present challenges in understanding how to plan, what to plan for, and the implementation of best practices to achieve pediatric readiness.
Data show that high pediatric readiness is associated with:
• 76% lower mortality rate in ill children
• 60% lower mortality rate in injured children
• at least 1,400 children’s lives saved across the United States each year
This workshop will assist emergency management team members from any hospital to learn where to begin or improve their disaster planning and preparedness programs for children in the following domains:
• Minimizing Separation of Children and Parents
• Reunification of Families
• Minimization of Separation of Children and Parents
• Decontamination of Children
• Caring for Children with Special Health Care Needs
• Isolation of Children in Disaster or Emergent Incident
• Pediatric Behavioral Health Patients Presenting in a Disaster
• Incorporating Pediatric Patients in Disaster Training, Drills, and Exercises
• Relocation and Evacuation Considerations
Participants will leave with increased knowledge, tools, and resources that they can put into practice immediately resulting in a higher state of pediatric readiness for their hospital.
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:
Kevin has 35 years of experience in healthcare as a hospital-based Paramedic and Emergency Management Program Manager. Mr. Arthur worked for 19 years in the Emergency Department at a 685 bed Level I Trauma Center. At the moment of 9/11 Mr. Arthur’s career began to be modified to develop an Emergency Management Department and Program for the flagship hospital of WellSpan Health in South-Central Pennsylvania.
For the past 10 years he has worked as the Emergency Management Program Manager at Primary Children’s Hospital (PCH), a 289-bed hospital and level I pediatric trauma center. As the Emergency Manager, he is responsible for public health and disaster emergency preparedness and response for the hospital, its affiliated clinics and for the PCH Children’s Health Complex. Kevin is responsible for all emergency management program design and development which includes: plan and procedure development, establishing and maintaining response assets, staff training for response to disaster situations and command cadre education and support.
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Julianne Ehlers is the Emergency Management Program Coordinator for Primary Children's Hospital-Miller Campus and Wasatch Canyons Behavioral Health Campus where she supports disaster mitigation, planning, training, and response.
As an experienced healthcare emergency manager, she has been involved in local, regional, and national emergency management efforts in planning, training/exercises, response, and mitigation for cross-jurisdictional healthcare partners. She was the Program Director for the National EMS Information System, sponsored by NHTSA, leading the program in strategic operations, and facilitating the collection and utilization of national EMS data. Julianne has also served as lead instructor for several healthcare disaster courses at FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness.
She holds a master’s degree in emergency management/Homeland Security from Arizona State University, a bachelor’s degree in emergency services administration, and is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) from the International Association of Emergency Managers.
Scott is the Primary Children's Hospital Hub Site Manager for the Pediatric Pandemic Network (PPN) as well as the domain manager for the Health Equity and Community Engagement service core of the PPN. Scott is a registered nurse in the Emergency Department at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has a BS in Economics from the University of Utah, a BSN from the University of Rochester, and an MSN in Leadership and Administration from Southern Utah University. He is also a Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN).
As a nurse in the Emergency Department, he was a Patient Flow Coordinator (charge nurse), a Trauma Charge Nurse. He served as the lead for emergency preparedness for the Emergency Department and Rapid Treatment Unit. He taught and continues to assist with an emergency preparedness course that is provided to all new ED and RTU employees, is a decontamination instructor for Intermountain Health, and an ENPC instructor for the ENA. He participates in community outreach by providing pediatric education to groups including the Utah EMSC, Utah School Nurses Association, MRC, and CERT.
He is married with two boys, ages 15 and 11. He enjoys skiing, mountain biking, and spending time with his family.
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Hannah Hamilton is an Emergency Management Program Coordinator for Intermountain Children’s Health serving Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City along with offsite pediatric clinics in northern Utah. She facilitates all aspects of healthcare emergency management for the only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center in the state.
She has a bachelor’s in emergency management from the University of Central Florida and experienced the impact of disaster firsthand when Hurricane Sally made landfall in her hometown in 2020.
Hannah began her work with Intermountain Health building the emergency management programs for Layton Hospital and Logan Regional Hospital. She then transitioned to the pediatric world when she accepted the position at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.
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