Health Care Providers
The Pediatric Disaster Resource and Training Center has focused extensively on preparing hospitals, clinicians and EMS providers for children’s needs in a disaster. Below are some resources to help you plan, train and respond.
L.A. County Pediatric Surge Plan
The pediatric surge plan was designed to create a county-wide plan on how each hospital within Los Angeles County would contribute to caring for children in the event of a surge that largely impacts children. This plan is aligned with and supports L.A. County's compliance with the HPP Capabilities, Capability 1: Healthcare System Preparedness; Function 7: Coordinate with planning for at-risk individuals and those with special medical needs; and Capability 10: Medical Surge.
- L.A. County Pediatric Surge Plan
- Pediatric Surge Quick Reference Guide
- Pediatric Disaster Resources and References
- Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services (LAC EMS) Agency
Resources to Help You Plan
- PEDSS -- The Pediatric Emergency Decision Support System (PEDSS) is a web-based tool that uses demographic information and user input to help hospitals plan for the types of supplies and medications they would need to respond to children’s medical needs in a disaster.
- Reunification document
Resources to Help You Train
Pediatric Disaster Training
This Pediatric Disaster Training Course was developed in 2008 with the goal of providing pediatric-specific disaster information to health care workers. There are two forms of training being conducted. The first is an 8-hour in-person training course with interactive skills stations. The other is a 68-minute online course. Content includes both clinical and non-clinical information.
Surge World
SurgeWorld is a serious simulation game that allows users to experience a hospital surge of pediatric patients. Users are required to triage arriving patients using a pediatric triage method called JumpSTART, developed by Lou Romig.
As patients are triaged, users additionally manage the different care areas by re-assessing patients as needed and monitoring pharmaceutical, supply and staffing levels. Each simulation enhances the user's decision making for dealing with a surge of patients. Decision making is one of the critical factors needed during a disaster situation.
Disaster Olympix
Recognized by The Joint Commission as a “best practice” in 2012, this just-in-time training scenario is an excellent opportunity to challenge critical thinking skills and teamwork. Disaster Olympix is a hands-on exercise to challenge individuals in critical thinking, teamwork and communication. One goal is to raise awareness of potential disaster-related issues and to ensure that staff is prepared to jump in and utilize every asset to provide safe, timely assistance in the case of a major event.
We create a series of real-world events that hospital workers may encounter during disasters. Teams of five individuals are challenged in each activity and have a set goal to achieve with each scenario. We have held the Disaster Olympix since 2008 and it has become an annual event that employees look forward to.
If you are interested in creating your own Disaster Olympix, please call us at 323-361-7607.
Resources to Help You Respond
- LAC DPH Surge Guide -- The L.A. County Department of Public Health produced this guide in co-operation with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the L.A. County EMS Agency. The guide provides pediatric-specific clinical values and drug dosing, among other pediatric values and references.