Participation Details

This QI collaborative provides opportunities for children’s hospital teams to collaborate with other diverse teams across the country to improve pediatric preparedness for emergencies, disasters, and pandemics. Currently, there are more than 100 children’s hospitals participating in the DNC with teams ranging from 1 to 40 representatives in 40 states and territories, encompassing all 10 federal regions. See a graphical map and list here.

The teams include children’s hospital personnel with various backgrounds, including physicians, nursing professionals, business continuity/resilience professionals, certified emergency managers, certified healthcare emergency professionals, certified legal professionals, C-suite or other hospital leaders, disaster medical directors, educators, EMSC state partnership managers, grant writers, operations support managers, paramedics, pediatric emergency care coordinators (PECCs), pharmacists, safety officers, security managers, respiratory therapists, social workers, veterinarians, and numerous individuals with advanced degrees and certifications.

Need to Update Your Team Roster?

If the members on a children’s hospital team registered for the DNC change, the team leader can email DNCPPN@austin.utexas.edu with the name of anyone no longer part of the team and/or the relevant first and last name, credentials, and email of each new member.

Structure 

The initial phase of the collaborative consisted of an introductory/overview session followed by monthly, 90-minute virtual sessions that focus on strategies and consensus driven approaches to improve pediatric disaster preparedness through C-suite commitment and support, consistent disaster roles and responsibilities, and awareness of the emergency management landscape and how to participate in regional efforts. Teams attend these ten sessions to exchange ideas, challenges, and successes. Discussions occur and questions are addressed within the large collaborative group and small breakout group sessions. Teams also have access to coaching, support, and experts.

View session recordings here.

How it works

Participants will:

Attending recurring learning sessions with leaders and peers (monthly, via Zoom)
Assessing their hospitals current state of pediatric disaster preparedness and comparing that to other children’s hospitals using provided tools

Evaluating and adjusting activities to enhance their hospitals infrastructure to adopt consensus guidelines and be better able to improve future disaster planning and preparedness

Designing and implementing a project to improve preparedness in their facility and community

Connecting with fellow participants to share ideas, learn new strategies, address barriers, and celebrate achievements

Timeline

The DNC launched in September 2023 and continues through June 2024. Collaborative sessions have focused on various foundational topics and teams are beginning to implement quality improvement or enhancement projects.

Sessions will now include information on the Disaster Response Network (DRC), which is a follow-up program focused on collaboration within a network of children’s hospitals that will improve readiness to respond to disasters individually and collaboratively.

For more information or if you have any questions, email DNCPPN@austin.utexas.edu.

Continuing Education for Physicians and Nurses

Physicians: 25 points MOC part 4 credit are available if requirements are met (regular attendance at collaborative sessions; completion of post session evaluations; collecting, analyzing, and reviewing data as well as designing and implementing PDSA cycles with the local site team as part of a quality improvement effort). Upon completion of the improvement project, an attestation form must be completed and submitted. These credits are approved through the University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s portfolio with the American Board of Medical Specialties. 

Nurses (live sessions only): Pediatric Liaison Nurses Los Angeles County approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 15456, for 1 contact hour. Partial contact hours will not be awarded. Contact: Robin Goodman.

Medical Staff Seated In Circle At Case Meeting

Session Information

Information about the schedule, registration and view previous webinars, sessions and fireside chats.

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Resources

See Disaster Networking Collaborative resources.

EIIC

EMSC

Engage with the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) and learn about other collaboratives.