Helping the Helpers to Help Children: Advances by the American Academy of Pediatrics

Abstract

Geographic circumstances: We remained out of the disaster area while providing indirect support and resources to on-site pediatricians. Our involvement with disasters has escalated since Hurricane Katrina. About the lead author (Dr Krug): I am a professor of pediatrics at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and head the division of emergency medicine at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. I currently serve as the chairperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Disaster Preparedness Advisory Council and am past-chair for both the AAP Committee on Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Section on Pediatric Emergency Medicine. I am a member of the advisory board for the National EMSC Data Analysis Resource Center and have been an active participant within the Emergency Medical Services for Children program at both state and national levels. I am the editor-in-chief for Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine. My areas of interest include emergency medical services for children, disaster preparedness, patient safety and care quality, clinical outcomes of emergency care, medical education, trauma systems, access to health care and the economics of health care delivery. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has been involved in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts for many years, but after Hurricane Katrina, the AAP Board of Directors elevated disaster preparedness as a priority that requires special attention and resources. The AAP appointed the Disaster Preparedness Advisory Council (DPAC) to establish a focused effort within the AAP to develop and implement a 3- to 5-year AAP strategic action plan for disaster preparedness. Specific activities in this plan included responding to all pediatric disaster-preparedness inquiries, identifying opportunities for advocacy such as providing congressional testimony, offering comments on federal regulations, participating in federal disaster-planning initiatives, implementing a Web-based resource for health care professionals and families, and creating the AAP Disaster Preparedness Contact Network. This … Address correspondence to Laura Aird, MS, Disaster Preparedness and Response, American Academy of Pediatrics, 141 Northwest Point Blvd, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-1098. E-mail: laird{at}aap.org