Dr. Henri Ford receives national recognition for contributions to academic medicine
The Association of American Medical Colleges awarded national recognition to nine individuals and one teaching hospital for their outstanding contributions to academic medicine. The awards were presented on Saturday, Nov. 5, during the association’s annual meeting in Denver.
Dr. Ford was recognized for his dedication to service. Nominated by medical students, one nominee called Ford “a true hero [who] exemplified the professional and personal qualities of a great doctor.”
Dr. Ford continues his work in his native home Haiti to enhance the health care system and works with the Haitian Ministry of Health, Project Medishare and the Interim Commission for Haiti’s reconstruction to establish a trauma and critical care system.
How to prepare your family for disaster
Here are some quick reminder tips of things you need to remember in preparing for and bracing for disaster. Click here for quick reminders
Think safety, security and basic needs
Know in advance where your loved ones are supposed to meet in case they are separated
Make sure you have the following for your children.
Extra diapers and wipes
Blankets
Appropriate food (formula, jarred baby food, breastmilk for infants and children who are breastfed)
Decide on an out-of–state friend or family member to be the single point of contact for your family (after a disaster, it’s often easier to call long distance). Make sure everyone in the family knows the name, address, and phone number of the contact person. For any disaster, decide on a meeting place away from home where you and your family will gather if you become separated.
Keep your car's gas tank filled. Functional gas stations will be in short supply in a power outage.
Know evacuation routes and exits
Know locations of gas shut-off valve, water main valve, and circuit breaker/fuse box
Learn procedures for opening/closing valves and breakers
Have a safe refuge area/meeting place for the family
Rehearse evacuation from the home
Change smoke and gas detector batteries at least once a year
Incorporate fire and life safety practices
Keep a disaster bin filled with essential survival items. These include batteries, flashlights, blankets, changes of clothing, non-perishable foods, water, bleach, can openers, tool kit, axe and shovel
The National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health just released their conference report “Pediatric Disaster Preparedness Curriculum Development”. The report outlines priorities for provider training and recommends training types and content. See the full report here
USGS and the American Red Cross - Report on the 2010 Chilean Earthquake and Tsunami Response This report covers lessons learned from the 8.8 magnitude Maule earthquake in Chile with focus on science and engineering, emergency management, health services, volunteer management and executive management issues. Dr Upperman was part of the delegation that traveled to Chile. See the full report here
The National Commission on Children and Disasters is a federal commission focused on issues related to pediatric disaster preparedness and response. The Commission recently released their preliminary recommendations. The PDRTC shared information related to reunification with this Commission and the information is reflected in their recent report.
“If we wait until the need arises, it will be too late.
Now is the time.”
Jeffery S. Upperman, MD, Program Director
Pediatric Disaster Preparedness Project
Lightning strikes the earth over 8 million times a day; there are more than a million earthquakes every year; the energy of a hurricane equals 50,000 atomic bombs. And then there are landslides, tornadoes, wildfires, floods and now, terrorist attacks. A disaster can strike anywhere at anytime.
With earthquakes, wildfires, mudslides and flooding hitting the region seemingly every year, Southern California has faced disasters many times. Our medical personnel, police, fire departments and other first responders understand the need for disaster preparedness and we can help you prepare also.
In the event of an accident, natural disaster or terrorist attack – any event with mass casualties – children cannot be treated like little adults. Children are more physically and psychologically vulnerable than adults to biological and chemical agents, and other assaults to their bodies. Critically injured children may require different treatments, different equipment, different drugs and their bodies will respond differently than an adult. As we saw with Katrina, there also are numerous logistical challenges when pediatric patients have been separated from their parents.
The Pediatric Disaster Resource and Training Center (PDRTC) at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles was created in 2008, with funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of the PDRTC is to identify and address gaps in pediatric disaster resources, communication and training, so that healthcare providers throughout Los Angeles County are prepared to handle all emergency medical needs of the region’s 2.8 million children.
The Association of American Medical Colleges awarded national recognition to nine individuals and one teaching hospital for their outstanding contributions to academic medicine. The awards were presented on Saturday, Nov. 5, during the association’s annual meeting in Denver. 
