141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

289307
Advancing the interests of pregnant women and children in emergency preparedness planning

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Bobby Courtney, MA, MPH, JD , MESH, Inc., Indianapolis, IN
Elizabeth Weinstein, MD , Indiana Emergency Medical Services for Children, Indianapolis, IN
During the past decade, the United States has invested over $600 billion dollars in domestic preparedness; however, it remains unclear whether U.S. communities are more effectively prepared for emergency events. This is particularly true for pregnant women and children, two populations that have not been adequately considered in healthcare emergency planning. The proposed session describes a replicable model that not only allows for effective community preparedness planning, but also generates new knowledge. Specifically, the model is grounded in Community-Based Participatory Research, which includes community members, organizational representatives, and researchers throughout all aspects of the planning process, thereby enabling all stakeholders in the “community of interest” to contribute their expertise with shared responsibility and ownership. This method enhances participant understanding of a given phenomenon and integrates knowledge gained with action, to improve the health and wellbeing of the community of interest through interventions and policy changes. Finally, this session will describe application of the above model to advance the interests of pregnant women and children before, during, and after an emergency event. Representative projects will be discussed, including: (1) the use of geospatial data to mitigate the effects of utility failure on children with electricity-dependent technology (e.g., home ventilators, intravenous pumps, 24-hour suctioning); (2) private practice pediatrician continuity of operations planning; and (3) the creation of disaster preparedness information packets for pediatricians and their patients.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Advocacy for health and health education
Communication and informatics
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Program planning
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Identify key stakeholders and their positions relative to maternal and child health preparedness planning. Understand the guiding principles of community-based participatory research and be able to apply the research methods to community preparedness planning for pregnant women and children. Identify the unique needs of pregnant women and children as they relate to community preparedness planning.

Keywords: Disasters, Maternal and Child Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am responsible for MESH's collaborative, community-based planning programs and working groups. My prior experience includes nearly ten years in healthcare strategic planning at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois. I have presented on a variety of public health/health law topics, and have authored numerous publications, the most recent being "Legal Issues in Emergency Response," in the Annual Review of Nursing Research (Volume 30, Couig & Kelly eds., 2012).
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.