Description of Collaborative Activity: |
The potential impact of disasters on children can extend from the immediate response phase of a disaster through the recovery phase, creating many challenges but also many opportunities to mitigate the effects. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) established the Children’s HHS Interagency Leadership on Disasters (CHILD) Working Group in 2010 to identify and comprehensively integrate the activities related to the needs of children across all HHS inter- and intra-governmental disaster planning activities and operations. Co-led by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), the group developed recommendations for how HHS can improve the delivery of care to children who are impacted by disasters. The Working Group is divided into four subcommittees: 1) Mental and Behavioral Health, 2) Medical Countermeasures, 3) Child Physical Health, Emergency Medical Services, and Pediatric Transport, and 4) Child Care and Child Welfare. |
