SESSION DESCRIPTION

Why improve pediatric emergency care?

 

Children have unique characteristics that require specific care, especially in emergencies. But not all children have access to specialized pediatric care. Moreover, 80% of children receive emergency care in general Emergency Departments (EDs). General EDs primarily treat adults and may not be properly prepared for children because of low pediatric patient volume. 

 

The Joint Commission regularly discusses the need for planning for special populations, and ACS Trauma Guideline Requirements have changed to address the need for pediatric-specific planning, and data shows that general facilities, in many cases, do not specifically plan for pediatrics in their emergency preparedness plans (EPPs).

 

The data also shows 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

We need to move the needle for pediatric preparedness nationally and many emergency management staff may not know where to begin. 

 

Join us to discuss six of the key planning elements for the ASC Trauma Regulation changes and identify best practices and strategies for further development of your EPPs for.

• Minimization of Separation of Children and Parents

• Reunification of Families

• Minimization of Separation of Children and Parents

• Decontamination of Children

• Caring for Children’s Needs

• Isolation of Children in Disaster or Emergent Incident

• Pediatric Behavioral Health Patients Presenting in a Disaster

• Including Pediatric Patients in Disaster Training Drills and Exercises

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About the Presenters:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kevin Arthur

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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Rebekah Reynosa

Rebekah grew up in central Pennsylvania and attended The Pennsylvania State University, majoring in both Biology and Earth Science. After graduating from Penn State, Bekah received her Master of Science in Disaster Medicine and Management from Philadelphia University (now Jefferson University).While working on her master’s degree, Bekah taught high school math and science at a small, private school, and interned at Dauphin County Emergency Management Agency in Harrisburg, PA. Additionally, she has been a certified EMT-B for over 6 years.

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After obtaining her master’s degree, Bekah worked for a private consulting firm in Pennsylvania, where she was involved in the development and implementation of large county and state public health preparedness projects and healthcare coalition building in PA, DE, WV, MD, and NJ. Moreover, she has experience with county and state-level plan development and multiagency exercise coordination. In 2017, Bekah moved to Utah to become the Emergency Management Coordinator at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. Bekah is a Certified Healthcare Emergency Coordinator (CHEC-II), and has spoken at numerous conferences across the country regarding pediatric emergency preparedness and reunification.

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Scott Starkie

Bio coming soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julianne Ehlers

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. 

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