Disaster Preparation

Disaster Preparation

Engaging with families with children with special health care needs

THE CENTER FOR Public Health Readiness and Communication (CPHRC) at the Dornsife School of Public Health (DSPH) recently completed a four-year research project to understand and address the information needs of families with children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) during disasters. This project was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and staff from the CDC collaborated with the CPHRC throughout the project.

Faculty and staff from DSPH include Esther Chernak, MD, MPH, FACP, Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Director of CPHRC; Tom Hipper, MSPH, MA, Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Associate Director of CPHRC; Leah Popek, MPH, Project Coordinator at CPHRC in the DSPH; Renee Davis, MD, MPH, Research Associate at CPHRC; Jennifer Lege-Matsuura, Visiting Fellow at CPHRC; and Renee Turchi, MD, MPH, Clinical Professor in the Department of Community Health and Prevention and Collaborating Faculty at CPHRC.

Together, they developed a toolkit of preparedness checklists for families of CYSHCN and their healthcare providers to help address these critical information needs.

“We’ve learned from our research with families whose children have special health challenges that they want tailored information—information that addresses their child’s medical condition and guides them to prepare for emergencies that could impact their child,” said Chernak.

To ensure the toolkit is useful and considers several scenarios, CPHRC engaged with families of CYSHCN, pediatricians, CDC staff, and other health care providers to review the materials then incorporated their feedback in the final product.

“The content and format of the materials was based on what we learned from families and their providers throughout the project, but it was important to make sure that we reviewed drafts of the materials with the people they were designed to help. This input helped us to confirm that the materials clearly conveyed the information families said they needed,” said Hipper.

Community and healthcare leaders are encouraged to share the toolkit widely.

These resources are accessible via computer or mobile phone and can be saved digitally or printed:

- Checklist for Families with Children with Physical Disabilities

- Community and healthcare leaders are encouraged to share the toolkit widely.

- Checklist for Families with Children with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities

- Checklist for Families with Children with Hearing or Vision Loss

- Emergency Evaluation Shelter FAQ

- Local Resource Guide

- Checklist for Pediatric Medical Practices

To check out the toolkit, scan the QR code: