Southwest Florida Healthcare Coalition
Resources
Helpful information and links to important resources both locally and nationally.
Family Reunification Resources
American Academy of Pediatrics
Family Reunification Following Disasters: A Planning Tool for Health Care Facilities
Family Separation and Reunification in Disasters
Western Massachusetts Region Homeland Security Advisory Council (WRHSAC)
Family Reunification Template Training Modules
FEMA
CDC
Caring for Children in a Disaster – Reunification
READINESS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR SCHOOLS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER
Family Reunification Resource Guide
ASPR
Tips for Healthcare Facilities: Assisting Families and Loved Ones after a Mass Casualty Incident
EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center
COOP(Continuity of Operations Plan) and CEMP (Comprehensive Emergency Management Planning) by BOLDplanning
The Southwest Florida Healthcare Coalition is happy to be able to sponsor these tools, so they can be offered to you at no cost as a value-added Coalition member benefit.
5 Ways These Tools Can Help You:
- Quickly create a COOP and CEMP that meet state and federal requirements
- Invite team members to work together in real-time
- Mobile-friendly, with a companion app that allows you to access your emergency plans on the go
- Planning tutorials and best practices embedded in the software
- Make data-driven decisions with the reporting features
COOP planning is a preparedness effort to ensure an organization’s Essential Functions (ESFs) continue to be performed during a critical situation. Any event that makes it impossible for employees to work in their regular facility could result in the activation of a COOP plan.
A COOP answers the following basic questions for an organization facing a disruption:
- Where could/would we go?
- How would we communicate and what would we say?
- What do we do and what functions are most important?
- What equipment is needed to continue our job?
Through insightful analysis, skillful facilitation, and expert guidance, BOLDplanning’s CEMP process helps you develop a big-picture Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP).
Your CEMP will follow guidance from FEMA’s Comprehensive Preparedness Guidance (CPG 101 & 201), the National Response Framework (NRF), and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
The Florida Healthcare Coalitions website to access these tools is loacted at flhcc.boldplanning.com
- You will need to contact [email protected] to set up a plan and provide you access to the application.
“I really like the bold planning product for the healthcare facilities to put their CEMP’s together. It is a great tool. Collier uses it for our COOP planning. What’s really nice is that once the plan is complete it can be printed as a whole document. Then these facilities can complete the criteria to submit it as a single document.”
Amy R. Howard, FPEM
Emergency Management Coordinator,
Multi-Hazards Planner
Collier County, FL
FLHCC COOP Coalition Member Guide
FLHCC COOP – Final Single Quick Start Guide
FLHCC CEMP Coalition Member Guide
NETEC: Powered Air-Purifying Respirators (PAPRs) for Respiratory Protection
The National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center’s mission is to set the gold standard for special pathogen preparedness and response across health systems in the U.S. with the goals of driving best practices, closing knowledge gaps, and developing innovative resources.
Our vision is a sustainable infrastructure and culture of readiness for managing suspected and confirmed special pathogen incidents across the United States public health and healthcare delivery systems.
Personal protective equipment is an essential element of healthcare worker safety, protecting against various occupational hazards. PAPRs are an important type of protective gear that plays a critical role in maintaining respiratory health and safety in different work environments.
Learn more and access the full guide from NETEC.
Aging Advocate -Improving Care For Older Adults
R.E.A.C.H. is an acronym both the first responder and care partner can use to maximize safety and promote a peaceful interaction for the person living with dementia.
R.E.A.C.H. is an easy self-paced training module with practical situations that may arise. We use videos that demonstrate helpful approaches using the R.E.A.C.H. acronym to de-escalate a situation involving persons with dementia and their families. We include a wandering scenario and an in-home medical incident that consists of an emergency response team. The videos focus on the care partner and the first responder and detail how to work together to improve the emergency response for individuals with dementia. Our goal is to be proactive rather than reactive and guide a person living with dementia to the best outcomes.
First Responder Dementia Guide
Know How to Respond to Persons Living with Dementia in Emergency Situations
R.E.A.C.H. 1st Responders Care Partners 2024 Training FDOH
FSU R.E.A.C.H. Training Certificate
These videos were created by partnering with Aging Advocate and the FSU College of Medicine REACH Program. Please take a look at the hyperlinks for more information about our program. The First Responders and Care Partner training videos landing page are also directly posted on a YouTube Channel playlist. The landing page has key takeaways, handouts, and other content that can be used in training.
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Pediatric Disaster Preparedness and Response Topical Collection resource endeavors to inform and guide pediatricians as well as planners, responders, care providers, and volunteers to be better prepared to meet the unique needs of children in times of crises and disasters.
Children have many unique anatomic, physiologic, immunologic, developmental, and psychological considerations that potentially affect their vulnerability to injury and response in a disaster. The underlying principle of pediatric disaster preparedness is to ensure that the medical and psychological needs of children are met during and after disaster events.
Family Reunification Following Disasters: A Planning Tool for Health Care Facilities
AAP Pediatric Disaster Preparedness and Response Topical Collection
Introduction
To be fully prepared for disasters, the best strategy is an all-hazards approach. All components within the chain of care for those affected by disasters can benefit from additional knowledge and guidance to improve pediatric preparedness.
Chapter 1: How Children are Different
As all pediatric care providers know, one cannot treat children as small adults. Children have many unique anatomic, physiologic, immunologic, developmental, and psychological considerations that potentially affect their vulnerability to injury and response in a disaster. Pediatricians can and should ensure that the needs of children are met in triage, diagnosis, and management in times of catastrophic occurrences.
Chapter 2: Disaster Planning for Pediatricians
Preparedness is probably the most important phase of response in emergency management. Parents know their child best and can greatly benefit from their pediatrician’s help with planning before an emergency or disaster.
Chapter 3: Preparedness Planning in Specific Practice Settings
The underlying principle of pediatric disaster preparedness is to ensure that the medical and psychological needs of children are met during and after disaster events. Proper planning can help a practice provide the necessary care to their patients.
Chapter 4: Mental Health Issues
Pediatricians and other health professionals that care for children will play many critical roles in identifying and addressing the mental health needs of children and families in a disaster or crisis event.
Chapter 5: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Infectious diseases remain among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in resource-limited countries. Guidelines are available for recognizing, isolating, and safely managing children with highly hazardous infectious diseases.
Chapter 6: Pediatric Preparedness Exercises
In conducting exercises specifically geared toward pediatric populations, hospitals and community-based providers can identify gaps in preparedness, training, response, and recovery for children in disasters.
Chapter 7: Nuclear and Radiological Events
Medical professionals, including pediatricians, need to be knowledgeable regarding the principles and management of radiological injury, not only to provide proper diagnosis and treatment to those affected, but also to alleviate public fear and counter potential misinformation.
Chapter 8: Biological Events
All public health and medical responses to bioterrorism events begin at the local level. Pediatricians are front-line health care providers in every community, and they may become front-line responders in a bioterrorist attack.
Chapter 9: Chemical Events
Successful planning and response to events involving chemical terrorism require strong collaboration and integrated functioning of many agencies and facilities, both governmental and nongovernmental, including local treatment facilities, local and state health departments, and federal agencies.
Chapter 10: Pediatric Decontamination
Pediatricians need to be aware of pediatric decontamination strategies and appropriate use of personal protective equipment to protect health care staff
Chapter 11: Physical Trauma: Blunt and Penetrating Injuries Due to Explosives and Firearms
Treatment of blast trauma involves full integration of the regional emergency medical services system and the regional trauma system, in accordance with plans developed in collaboration with regional public safety and emergency management agencies.
NERVE AGENT INFORMATION FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AND HOSPITALS
**Meticulous attention to standard protocols for personal protection, recognizing toxidromes, and treating patients continues to be the best way to prepare for and respond to chemical agent exposures**
Purpose
This document provides a quick refresher on standard protocols for recognizing, treating, and protecting yourself from nerve agent exposures. Comprehensive follow-up guidance for Law Enforcement, Fire, EMS, HazMat, and Hospital-Based First Receivers incorporating lessons learned and best practices from the recent United Kingdom incidents will be forthcoming.
Background
Nerve agents are extremely toxic chemical warfare agents. Several nerve agents exist and are generally categorized as either “high volatility” or “low volatility” chemicals, a measure of how likely they are to disperse in air. A high volatility nerve agent (easily dispersed in air) means that the exposure is likely to occur from breathing in its vapors resulting in the rapid onset of symptoms.
A low volatility nerve agent (not easily dispersed in air) typically gets absorbed through the skin and has a delayed onset of signs and symptoms. An example of a high volatility nerve agent is sarin, whereas VX is a low volatility agent. In the body, a nerve agent exerts its effects by inhibiting an enzyme (acetylcholinesterase), resulting in acute illness – specifically, cholinergic crisis.
Organophosphorus or carbamate pesticides produce similar effects to nerve agents.
FULL DOCUMENT CAN BE FOUND HERE
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF NERVE AGENT POISONING
Caveat: Poisoned patients may not demonstrate all of these symptoms
- Mouth/Skin: Drooling (Salivation), foaming at the mouth, and excessive sweating
- Nose/Eyes: Runny nose and watery eyes (Lacrimation) with small (often pinpoint) pupils (Miosis)
- Chest: Cough, chest tightness, difficulty in breathing, wheezing, respiratory failure, “wet” fluid filled lungs
- Abdominal: Urination, Diarrhea, abdominal (Gastrointestinal) cramps, belching, nausea, and/or vomiting (Emesis)
- Mental Status: Confusion, drowsiness, slurred speech, ataxia, unconsciousness, coma
- Muscle/Neurological: Fatigue, weakness, twitching, tremors, cramps, absent reflexes, seizure
- Underlined findings = “SLUDGE”- Salivation, Lacrimation, Urination, Diarrhea, Gastrointestinal cramps, Emesis
- Other mnemonic used = “DUMBBELS” – Diarrhea, Urination, Miosis/Muscle weakness, Bronchospasm/Bronchorrhea, Bradycardia, Emesis, Lacrimation, Salivation/Sweating
Handtevy Pediatric Emergency Standards
Handtevy began as the premier pediatric healthcare technology company, committed to improving the treatment of critically ill or injured children in emergency settings. Encouraged by the demand of our distinguished customers – the life-saving medical teams – we broadened our horizons. We heard their call for more.
Today, we extend our commitment to clinicians nationwide, providing them with state-of-the-art technology and hands-on training. Our goal? To amplify the speed, precision, and quality of emergency care, not just for pediatrics, but for adults as well. We’re more than a company; we’re a commitment to enhanced care for all.
Safe Kids Southwest Florida
About Us
The Gosilano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida is the only comprehensive and accredited children’s hospital between Tampa and Miami. They provide care for children, from birth through age 20, and their families throughout our five-county area. The Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida is the lead agency for Safe Kids Southwest Florida counties.
Safe Kids Southwest Florida is a proud member of the Lee County Injury Prevention Coalition.
For more information on the Coalition, click here.
Where to Find Safe Kids
Safe Kids Southwest Florida
Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida
9981 S. HealthPark Dr., Suite 456, Fort Myers, FL 33908
SWFL Safe Kids Coordinator
Julie Noble, MMS, CPST
Lee Health Safety Champion
Golisano Children’s Hospital of SW Florida
Phone: 239-343-6199 • Fax: 239-343-6492
Contact HERE
National Child Passenger Safety Certification Training Program
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
The grassroots work we do focuses on eliminating the loss of life from suicide by: delivering innovative prevention programs, educating the public about risk factors and warning signs, raising funds for suicide research and programs, and reaching out to those individuals who have lost someone to suicide.
As a part of AFSP’s growing nationwide network of chapters, we bring together people from all backgrounds who want to prevent suicide in our communities. Families and friends who have lost someone to suicide, vulnerable individuals, mental health professionals, clergy, educators, students, community/business leaders, and many others energize our chapter.
Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States and the eighth leading cause of death in Florida.
State of Florida Pulsara Resources
Pulsara is a HIPAA-compliant app that unites the entire care team — including EMS, hospital staff, and emergency responders — on a single communication platform. Pulsara gives teams a fast way to create a dedicated channel for each patient, allowing them to enter critical patient information and share it with the right team members at the right time.
With Pulsara, teams can be built on the fly according to each patient’s needs. Pulsara alerts the appropriate team members and adds them to the patient’s channel, giving ALL team members one way to communicate about their patients. Pulsara can replace pagers, radio reports, faxes, and the many phone calls it takes to coordinate care.
Pulsara’s network connects any and all members of the care team, regardless of location or organization. Anyone can use Pulsara to communicate and coordinate logistics around all patients, every day, for every method of arrival. From routine transports to time-sensitive emergencies to major incidents, Pulsara works for every patient you encounter.
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