Southwest Florida Healthcare Coalition
Resources
Helpful information and links to important resources both locally and nationally.
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.
Protocols & Checklists Tutorial
National Center for Disaster Medicine & Public Health (NCDMPH)
NCDMPH VISION
The National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health will be the United States’ academic center of excellence leading disaster health education and research. In collaboration with our federal partners, we will facilitate science and education to inform policy, operations, and funding decisions that improve our readiness, save lives and mitigate injuries in disasters.
NCDMPH MISSION
The Mission of the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health is to improve the United States disaster health readiness through advancements and improvements in education, research, practice, and policy.
BACKGROUND
NCDMPH is uniquely positioned as a bridge between federal agencies and academia.
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21 established NCDMPH in 2007 to be an academic center of excellence in disaster medicine and public health under five federal agency partners: the Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, and Department of Veterans Affairs. NCDMPH is both a federal organization and an academic center located in the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences working with military, nonprofit, private and federal collaborators to advance the mission.
DISASTER HEALTH CORE CURRICULUM
FIRST AID FOR SEVERE TRAUMA™ (FAST™)
PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM TRAINING IN DISASTER RECOVERY (PH STRIDR)
Stop the Bleed
Over 3 Million People Have Learned to STOP THE BLEED
You can, too! The American College of Surgeons STOP THE BLEED® program has prepared over 3 million people worldwide on how to stop bleeding in a severely injured person.
With 3 quick actions, you can be trained to save a life. The number 1 cause of preventable death after injury is bleeding. That’s why we want to train you how to STOP THE BLEED®.
Get Trained!
How to Make an Affordable Limb Model
Florida Committee on Trauma
Mobile Applications
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FERNO Pediatric Transport Devices
Pedi Mate Plus Attachment Video Pedi Mate PLUS Model 678 User Manual
Neo-Mate Attachment Video NeoMate Model 679 User Manual
Kangoofix Attachment Video Kangoofix User Manual
FL-PEDReady-safe-transport-Educational-Presenation-2023
Florida EMSC and PEDReady safe pediatric transport
Ambulance crash data
American Burn Association
The American Burn Association and its members dedicate their efforts and resources to promoting and supporting burn-related research, education, care, rehabilitation, and prevention. The ABA has more than 2,000 members in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Members include physicians, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, researchers, social workers, fire fighters, and hospitals with burn centers. Our multidisciplinary membership enhances our ability to work toward common goals with other organizations on educational programs.
American College of Surgeons
The ACS TQP Best Practices Guidelines aim to provide recommendations for managing patient populations or injury types with special considerations to trauma care providers. The Trauma Quality Programs (TQP) Best Practices Project Team and a panel of guest experts from appropriate specialties, work together over the course of the year to create each guideline. The guidelines are created from evidence-based literature when available and consensus of the group when evidence is lacking.
These guidelines are created by leading health care professionals in each field, and provide a valuable resource for trauma centers everywhere.
Children’s Safety Network
The Children’s Safety Network works with state and jurisdiction Maternal & Child Health and Injury & Violence prevention programs to create an environment in which all infants, children, and youth are safe and healthy. Our goal is to equip states and jurisdictions to strengthen their capacity, utilize data and implement effective strategies to make reductions in injury-related deaths, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits.
What we do
- The Children’s Safety Network, in cooperation with the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) is implementing a child safety learning collaborative for state and jurisdiction health departments.
- In partnership with HRSA MCHB, CSN facilitates a national Children’s Safety Now Alliance, with participation by leaders and experts representing national organizations, federal agencies, universities, and states with a commitment to child safety. The Alliance is guided by a Steering Committee, which works to create new synergy among public and private stakeholders and to support the activities of the CS CoIIN strategy teams.
- CSN provides training and technical assistance and resources on injury and violence prevention planning, programs, and evidence-based practices to state and jurisdiction health departments and health and safety services and systems.
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)
OUR MISSION is to raise the standard of care and improve access to services for traumatized children, their families and communities throughout the United States.
A traumatic event is a frightening, dangerous, or violent event that poses a threat to a child’s life or bodily integrity. Witnessing a traumatic event that threatens life or physical security of a loved one can also be traumatic. This is particularly important for young children as their sense of safety depends on the perceived safety of their attachment figures.
Traumatic experiences can initiate strong emotions and physical reactions that can persist long after the event. Children may feel terror, helplessness, or fear, as well as physiological reactions such as heart pounding, vomiting, or loss of bowel or bladder control. Children who experience an inability to protect themselves or who lacked protection from others to avoid the consequences of the traumatic experience may also feel overwhelmed by the intensity of physical and emotional responses.
Even though adults work hard to keep children safe, dangerous events still happen. This danger can come from outside of the family (such as a natural disaster, car accident, school shooting, or community violence) or from within the family, such as domestic violence, physical or sexual abuse, or the unexpected death of a loved one.
National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
After the Hurricane: Helping Young Children Heal
Family Preparedness Wallet Card
Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event
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