Dear Pediatric Readiness Assessment Participant, You are receiving this email because your hospital participated in the 2013 National Pediatric Readiness Project Assessment. If you were not the respondent to the initial assessment please feel free to share this important information with your pediatric coordinator or the correct individual in your emergency department. If you are no longer the correct contact person for future Pediatric Readiness communications for your facility, please forward this message to the current ED manager and/or director. Thank you for participating in the 2013 National Pediatric Readiness Project Assessment. We experienced an overwhelming response of 82.7% nationally from emergency departments who participated in the assessment of their pediatric readiness capabilities. The data has been collated and is currently undergoing analysis. Major national gaps have been identified spurring the development of resources to further assist hospitals in improving their pediatric readiness. An identified national gap, the integration of the unique needs of children into hospital disaster plans was noted. Only 46.8% of hospitals participating in the national assessment had included pediatric specific considerations into their facility disaster plans. This prompted the development of the first resource tool to assist hospitals in improving their own Pediatric Readiness, the Checklist of Essential Pediatric Domains and Considerations for Every Hospital's Disaster Preparedness Policies. <http://www.pediatricreadiness.org/PRP_Resources/> The percentage of hospitals having integrated the needs of children into their disaster plans in Texas was 41.4%. I hope this new tool is helpful as you and your hospital continue your efforts to build your capacity to be pediatric ready. The Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program is pleased to announce the release of the Checklist of Essential Pediatric Domains and Considerations for Every Hospital's Disaster Preparedness Policies created by a multidisciplinary workgroup of pediatric and disaster preparedness experts from across the country as a result of findings from the National Pediatric Readiness Project; data reported indicated that less than half of all U.S. hospitals reported having written disaster plans addressing issues specific to the care of children. The Checklist is a tool to help hospitals incorporate essential pediatric considerations into existing hospital disaster policies. It consists of 10 essential pediatric domains and corresponding considerations to guide hospital administrators, clinical managers, and disaster planning committees through a review of current disaster plans and inform policy development or revision. Additionally, a list of references and resources specific to each domain is provided to assist users in finding relevant literature and best practices. The Checklist is available in both static pdf and interactive electronic versions from the following resources: National Pediatric Readiness Project http://www.pediatricreadiness.org/PRP_Resources/<https://bearmail.cnmc.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=SOCu_nF3qkuZ-QjbgAvQxLxjrUGIwtEIhCOzBF7eyI4hsFKo_dGsOjaofuXKixGbenfownnAfSQ.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.pediatricreadiness.org%2fPRP_Resources%2f> EMS for Children National Resource Center http://www.emscnrc.org/EMSC_Resources/Publications.aspx<https://bearmail.cnmc.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=SOCu_nF3qkuZ-QjbgAvQxLxjrUGIwtEIhCOzBF7eyI4hsFKo_dGsOjaofuXKixGbenfownnAfSQ.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.emscnrc.org%2fEMSC_Resources%2fPublications.aspx> Health Resources on Children in Disasters and Emergencies http://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc/children.html<https://bearmail.cnmc.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=SOCu_nF3qkuZ-QjbgAvQxLxjrUGIwtEIhCOzBF7eyI4hsFKo_dGsOjaofuXKixGbenfownnAfSQ.&URL=http%3a%2f%2fdisasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov%2fdimrc%2fchildren.html> If I or the EMS for Children State Partnership, Texas can be of further assistance as you work on pediatric emergency care needs please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Sam Vance, BA, NREMT-P Program Manager EMS for Children State Partnership, Texas 1102 Bates Ave. Houston, TX 77030 P: 832-824-EMSC(3672) F: 832-825-1182 email: [log in to unmask] www.bcm.edu/pediatrics/emsc