P3A221: Health Disparities in Pediatric Disaster Preparedness

Background: While one-third of disaster victims are children, they are often overlooked when planning for disaster management and instead treated like small adults. Children have specific needs compared to the general population. WRAP-EM, the Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management, a federally funded pediatric disaster center of excellence, has led efforts to improve the ability of organizations to prepare and respond to the needs of children in a disaster.

Methods: During the SARS-CoV-19 pandemic, significant disparities became even more apparent. Although not in the original charge, WRAP-EM established a health disparities focus group to help highlight and address the needs of children that came to light during the pandemic. WRAP-EM conducted 11 focus groups during April 2021. Discussions were led by an experienced facilitator and participants could also include their thoughts on a Padlet, a collaborative web platform throughout the discussion. Data were analyzed to determine overarching themes.

Results: Responses focused on health literacy, health disparities, resource opportunities, addressing obstacles, and resilience building. Health literacy data highlighted the need for development of readiness and preparedness plans, community engagement in cultural and language appropriate means, and increasing diversity in training. Obstacles faced included funding, inequitable distribution of research, resources and supplies, lack of prioritization of pediatric needs, and fear of retribution from the system. Multiple already existing resources and programs were referenced highlighting the importance of best practice sharing and networking. A stronger commitment to mental health care delivery, empowerment of individuals and communities, use of telemedicine, and ongoing cultural and diverse education were recurring themes.

Conclusion: Results of the focus groups can be used to prioritize efforts to address and improve health disparities in pediatric disaster preparedness.