The Disaster Response Collaborative (DRC) focuses on pediatric disaster response (see About the DRC) and hosts improvement and networking sessions for participants. These sessions provide strategies for improvement, expert presentations on topical information, and opportunities to share ideas and collaborate with children’s hospital teams.
All team members listed on the roster for a registered hospital team will receive meeting appointments for the collaborative sessions. Recognizing that not all participants will be available to attend every session, your team might decide which member(s) should attend sessions and report back to the team. Session recordings and slides will be accessible online once each collaborative session has concluded. To change/update your children’s hospital team roster, email DNCPPN@austin.utexas.edu.
Each DRC team, by the end of January 2025, selects one topic area to focus its efforts on and plans/participates in a tabletop exercise and 2 drills to identify gaps and monitor progress.
It is important to attend these first 6 session, as they provide a foundation for the entire DRC.
Session 1: Disaster Response Collaborative Overview and Expectations
September 10, 2024: 1:00 to 2:30 pm CT
Session 2: Using Drills and Exercises to Achieve Disaster Response Improvements
October 8, 2024: 1:00 to 2:30 pm CT
Focus Area Option: Triage, Infection Control, and Decontamination
November 5, 2024: 1:00 to 2:30 pm CT
Focus Area Option: Pediatric Surge Capacity and Capability
December 3, 2024: 1:00 to 2:30 pm CT
Focus Area Option: Pediatric Patient Tracking & Family Reunification
January 7, 2025: 1:00 to 2:30 pm CT
Focus Area Option: Evacuation
February 4, 2025: 1:00 to 2:30 pm CT
Session 7 and Beyond
March and April 2025
Each team has selected its pediatric focus area group (evacuation, reunification, surge, triage/infection control/decontamination) and meets with the other teams that have chosen the same topic.
May 6, 2025: 2:00 to 3:30 pm CT
All DRC teams/participants attend a collaborative session to report on focus area progress.
The meeting cadence (2 months where focus area groups meet independently and the third month is for the full collaborative to meet together) repeats through the end of the collaborative.
Future Collaborative Session Dates:
- August 2025
- November 2025
- February 2026
- May 2026
- June 2026
For more information or questions: DNCPPN@austin.utexas.edu.