The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #37745

Ronald C Porter, MD, School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of South Carolina, 5 Richland Medical Park, Columbia, SC 29203, 803-898-0616, Ronald.Porter@palmettohealth.org and Jane Lukshis, RN, MN, Division of Children with Special Health Care Needs, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Mills/Jarrett Building, Columbia, SC 29203.

The South Carolina Title V program, Children's Rehabilitative Services (CRS), has developed and implemented a family friendly emergency treatment plan that may be carried in a mother's purse or a father's pocket. Collaborating with the South Carolina Emergency Medical Services for Children Program, CRS convened a group of health care professionals including a general pediatrician, pediatric emergency department physician, CRS nurse and parent consultants, and representatives from Emergency Medical Services.

The content of the Plan as well as format, ease of completion, updates, and family support were agreed upon, with CRS taking responsibility for assisting families with initial completion of the plan and regularly scheduled updates. Copies of the plan are kept on file and sent to the child's Medical Home physician, the closest emergency department, as well as to the child's local EMT provider. We anticipate higher quality of care for special needs children through this coordinated system of informed parent's and providers.

Subsequent to the development of the Plan, a joint policy statement from The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Emergency Physicians was issued which detailed information that should be available in an emergency for all children with special needs. Our Plan includes this information as well as details that we felt were equally important. This poster will present our information and format for possible adoption by other programs desiring comprehensive information in a family centered, concise, and portable emergency treatment plan.

Learning Objectives:

• -Each participant will recognize the unique obstacles special needs children encounter in seeking care in emergency departments.
• -the participant will learn the information necessary to assure the most appropriate care is delivered in the emergency department.
• -The participant will learn how to partner with other physicians, hospitals, and agencies to develop an emrgency treatment plan for special needs children.
• -The participant will learn how to present the most critical emergency information in a succinct way and make it available to parents and providers.

Keywords: Special Needs, Access to Health Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: South Carolina Children's Rehabilitative Services Program (Title V)
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.