Life & Death Difference:
Children are smaller than adults but one would think that aside from their size, they are essentially the same as adults in physical makeup and, consequently, treating their health needs must be the same. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Disaster Preparedness:
In a time of crisis, it is essential to ensure the needs of children are being met in planning and preparing for disasters and terrorist events. The current adult models and guidelines cannot be applied to the care of children. The goals of TN EMSC regarding disaster planning are to:
- Build collaboration among individuals with expertise in pediatrics, pediatric emergency medicine, pediatric critical care, pediatric surgery, and emergency management: disaster planning, management, and response.
- Review and summarize the existing data on the needs of children in disasters, including planning, preparation, and response.
- Develop consensus on the needs of children in disasters.
- Encourage the inclusion of children into the state's overall disaster plan.
TN EMSC offers the following Online Courses for Schools:
Disaster Preparedness for Schools
This course was developed to augment your school’s disaster preparedness plan. It reviews the four (4) phases of emergency and disaster management and the roles of school and disaster management. The course will also aid you in identifying pertinent items and supplies needed for a school disaster kit.
Emergency Information Form for Children with Special Needs
The American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics are proud to present the Emergency Form for Children with Special Needs.
This important document will assure prompt and appropriate care for Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN). Now, when these patients present to emergency departments or health care professionals with an acute illness or injury, physicians, parents, EMS professionals, and nurses will be able to use this form as a tool to transfer critical information.
This form will ensure that a child’s medical history is concisely summarized and available when it is needed most—when the child presents with an acute health problem at a time when neither parent nor pediatrician is immediately available.
Click here for more information on the American College of Emergency Physicians website.
