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Emergency Preparedness Committee

Best Practices

Emergency Preparedness Committee Membership

  • Natalie Lane, MD; Chair, Augusta
  • Chamaine Bjornson; Columbus
  • Kristina Herndon; Atlanta
  • Lisa Koons; Savannah
  • Kristopher Mattson; Atlanta
  • Lynne Meadows; Fulton County Schools
  • Rebecca Reamy, MD; Columbus
  • Joel Rice; Atlanta
  • Brent Smith; Columbus
  • Cheryl Walls-Benner; Atlanta
  • Sam Sindelar

Emergency Preparedness Goals


Goal DescriptionGoal Objectives2022-2023
1. Maintain communication among member hospitals on issues in health and welfare of Georgia’s children as it relates to large scale illness and mitigation and preparation for disaster.
  • Use Everbridge as a potential mode of communication among each PHIC EP committee member during a disaster
    • Testing at least quarterly
    • Use call down drill to test downtime process
  • Identify a pediatric champion at the level of each of the 15 Healthcare Coalitions in Georgia
    • Work with GHA, CHOA and Region G
  • Incorporate the use of GaHIN in any upcoming drills
    • Ensure that each member hospital incorporates in its annual drills
  • All board members have participated
  • Continue to need to identify a/an individual(s)
  • Drills postponed b/c of COVID
2. Participate, develop, promote, and disseminate educational opportunities relevant to pediatric disaster preparedness using support from the pediatric regional coordinating hospital and allocated funding and resources.
  • Support the annual EMS-C conference
  • CHOA decontamination program
  • Use PHIC Listserv as a platform for dissemination
    • Upload links to relevant resources
    • Post minutes from monthly meetings
  • Monetary support provided for food
  • Minutes
  • Best practices documents
  • Document describing each institutions approach to surge
3. Engage PHIC and its member hospitals in supporting the pediatric hospital designation process for the state of Georgia.
  • Participate as a stakeholder
  • Chair of PHIC EP heads committee
  • EMSC at the table for PHIC EP
4. Investigate areas of weakness in pediatric emergency disaster preparedness to help better develop initiatives.
  • Follow up on the status ASPR TRACI Pediatric Annex for hospitals (2019)
  • Follow up on the EMS-C Pediatric. Readiness Survey results to identify areas of weakness in preparedness (2020).
  • Participate in an annual state tabletop disaster drill to identify gaps.
  • Annex really rubber-stamped b/ c of covid
  • Number of areas are weak and in need of support
  • Tabletop drill postponed b/c of covid
Emergency Preparedness Committee Access