DRC Participation Details

The DRC 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. Session will be held from September 2024 through June 2026. You can also find details on upcoming and completed sessions, and focus area.

Phases and Sessions

The DRC sessions will be held from September 2024 through June 2026.

Phase One: Orientation
September 2024 to February 2025

• Six 90-minute monthly collaborative sessions were held.
• Registered children’s hospital teams were formed and met together in collaborative sessions to learn about the DRC, emphasizing the four focus areas, and opportunities to improve disaster planning through tabletop exercises.
• In early 2025, teams selected a pediatric focus area or topic to guide their improvement efforts.

Phase Two: Baseline Assessment, Identify Opportunities
March 2025 to June 2026

• Each of the children’s hospitals that selected the same pediatric focus area met together for two months (i.e. March/April 2025) to discuss strategies and resources specific to the pediatric focus area and to determine options for planning or adapting a tabletop exercise to review a disaster plan (or component in a plan).
• On the third month (May 2025), all collaborative participants met together.
• The meeting cadence described above continues throughout the collaborative.
• Teams participate in a DRC-hosted virtual tabletop exercise (TTX) or a facility-led TTX based on existing plans specific to their pediatric focus area and develop an After-Action report. See details on Tabletop Exercises and Drills.

Phase three: Initial Testing and Identify Best Practices
September 2025 to December 2025

• Quality improvement projects are discussed among each hospital team and details as well as a timeline for change strategies are agreed upon.
• Focus area pages are reviewed, and relevant measures (and potentially intervention strategies) are selected.
• Drill #1 is planned and implemented; an After-Action or improvement report is generated.
• Using quality (process) measures identified in each Pediatric Focus Area Intervention Bundle Guide, teams will consider whether to test out improvements/achievements and steps identified in the After-Action report to plan and conduct an initial drill, and after improvement interventions a follow up drill, with support and resources from the DRC Drills & Exercises Team.
• Focus area and full collaborative sessions continue.

Phase Four: Drive Improvements and Celebrate Successes
January 2026 to June 2026

• Follow up actions are completed
• Drill #2 is planned and convened
• Teams report on their experiences, improvement projects, barriers, and achievements in sessions.
• Focus area sessions continue in March and April 2026
• Full collaborative sessions with team report outs occur in May and June 2026

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