Hurricanes, earthquakes, cyberattacks, pandemics – we have seen the devastation caused by natural and man-made disasters on our families, patients and livelihoods. Research suggests that these emergencies will not only continue to occur, but will likely become more frequent and extreme. The best way to protect both your patients and your practice is to have a disaster plan.
This Disaster Preparedness Resource Hub provides helpful information to prepare for emergencies, and includes action plan templates, emergency checklists, and the latest research on assisting children during times of crisis. Notably, it is for planning purposes only, not intended for use during a disaster. This comprehensive Hub was created specifically for pediatric dentists, and provides relevant information for pediatric dentists as both small business owners and healthcare providers who work with children.
Resources
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General information and actionable toolkits for disaster planning
Emergency Planning & Disaster Recovery in the Dental Office, American Dental Association
This 2020 publication acts as a general guide to learning about and creating a practice-specific emergency action plan. It includes examples of emergencies/disasters and recommendations for how to address them.
Emergency Action Plan (Template), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
This comprehensive guide created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides general templates and action plans for emergencies like fires and chemical spills.
Ready.gov, United States Government
This extensive website created by the U.S. Government includes information and planning advice for hazards ranging from bioterrorism to extreme heat to winter weather, and includes tailored information to assist individuals with disabilities and children during disasters.
OSHA Emergency Preparedness and Response Website
This website created by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration division of the Department of Labor provides information about emergency events ranging from natural disasters to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive incidents, and offers guidance and resources on best disaster practices.
Tip Sheet on Emergency Preparedness, American Dental Association, 2017
This Tip Sheet complied by the American Dental Association provides a helpful checklist of Emergency Action Plan items, as well as links to other resources for additional information about emergency preparation.
This page links to personal, community-level, business, and public health resources for emergency preparedness.
Additional Resources
Stop the Bleed Hemorrhage Campaign
The Stop the Bleed campaign teaches individuals about hemorrhage control. This can be particularly useful for dentists and dental staff given that rapid blood loss followed by shock occurs quickly in children.
Sample Staff Alert Emergency Roster
This sample staff alert roster, modeled after those used by the military, allows staff to efficiently identify missing personnel and account for all staff members during times of emergency.
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Learn how to protect your small business during an emergency
Ready Campaign – Business, Ready National public service campaign
This page contains various emergency “toolkits” for businesses. The toolkits are available in both English and Spanish, and cover topics like natural disasters and power outages.
Emergency Preparedness, U.S. Small Business Administration
This page compiles various general and disaster-specific resources for preparedness and recovery of small businesses.
Disaster Assistance and Emergency Relief for Individuals and Businesses, Internal Revenue Service
The IRS page linked here helps taxpayers and business owners protect financial and tax records in cases of disaster.
From COVID-19 to Hurricane Season: Disaster Preparedness for Small Business, Business.com
This article discusses how to create and implement a disaster plan for a small business.
This page contains both guidance for emergency preparedness and resources on such specific concerns as facility protection and emergency contacts.
This page provides disaster survivors with information, support, services, and a means to access and apply for disaster assistance.
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Helpful information about how to protect children during disasters, including those with special health care needs
This webpage provides links and summaries of many resources specific to disaster readiness in pediatric settings.
ASPR TRACIE Topic Collection: Pediatric/Children, US Department of Health & Human Services
This page works as an index linking to other HHS pages that contain resources on managing different types of emergencies.
This page links to resources for the care of children during disasters.
Caring for Children in a Disaster, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
This webpage from the CDC provides helpful information about how to care for children during a disaster, including information on specific threats, how to help children with special healthcare needs, and the importance of accounting for children in disaster planning.
This guide created in collaboration between the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, and the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care, is written for people working in child care centers. Its relevance to pediatric dentistry is information about how organizations that work with children can best prepare for emergencies, including rationales for why each preparatory action is important.
Children with Special Healthcare Needs
Keeping Children with Disabilities Safe in Emergencies, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
This post from the CDC includes information for healthcare professionals to help families with children with special healthcare needs prepare for emergencies.
While this blog post from the CDC is tailored towards parents, it includes essential preparation tips for healthcare workers to best serve their patients with special health care needs.
Emergency Preparedness for Children with Special Needs, The Center for Children with Special Needs
This webpage, while created for parents, provides step-by-step advice for individuals who are interested in emergency preparedness for children with special needs.
This webpage from the CDC includes a list of links and resources created by different states to help people with disabilities and their caregivers create emergency plans.
Additional Resources
The Evolving Role of Dental Responders on Interprofessional Emergency Response Teams
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Important information about hurricanes, earthquakes, and radiation.
Hurricanes
Hurricane Safety and Resources, the National Weather Service
This page outlines the various risks associated with hurricanes and other tropical weather phenomena, and offers links to resources for planning, surviving and recovering from them.
Disaster Preparedness: Hurricanes and Tropical Cyclones, Habitat for Humanity
This webpage from Habitat for Humanity gives practical information on what to do before, during, and after a hurricane.
Earthquakes
This page offers information on radiation safety and what to do if a radiation disaster occurs.
Radiological Emergency Preparedness, FEMA
This webpage from the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides planning advice and training links related to radiological emergencies.
Radiation
This page offers information on radiation safety and what to do if a radiation disaster occurs.
Radiological Emergency Preparedness, FEMA
This webpage from the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides planning advice and training links related to radiological emergencies.
Wildfires
Wildfires, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
This comprehensive resource from the OSHA provides information about preparing for and responding to wildfires.
Floods
Flood Safety Tips and Resources, National Weather Service
The National Weather Service’s Flood Safety Tips and Resources provides information about what to do before, during, and after a flood.
Power Outages
This webpage created by the CDC shares helpful information about the various areas impacted by power outages – including drinking water, power line hazards, and extreme temperatures – and provides additional links for further information.
What To Do When Your Whole State Closes, American Association of Dental Office Management
This blog post from a dental manager in Texas details her experience with the state-wide shutdown in 2021 due to power outages. She speaks about lessons she’s learned and provides guidance on what to do before, during, and after a power outage.
Tornadoes
Tornado Preparedness and Response, OSHA
This OSHA webpage contains extensive resources on tornado preparedness, including checklists and important background information.
Staying Safe in a Tornado, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
This CDC webpage provides preparedness tips to best stay safe during a tornado.
Additional Resources
Dealing with Weather Emergencies from the Federal Trade Commission.
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Learn how to protect your practice from cyberattacks
“Hacker explains how to protect your practice's data,” Medical Economics
This article discusses why medical records are valuable to hackers, how practices may get hacked, and how to prevent it.
“How Hospitals Are Getting Hacked And How To Prevent It From Happening To You,” Health IT Outcomes
This article concisely discusses salient cybersecurity threats faced by health organizations and simple preventive measures against hacking.
Protecting Patient Information in the Age of Breaches, University of Illinois Chicago
This infographic shows basic information on hacking and prevention in the healthcare industry in an easy-to-read, accessible format.
Ransomware Readiness, American Dental Association
This free webinar from the American Dental Association provides training on cybersecurity and ransomware readiness.
Stop Ransomware, U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
This website created by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency provides helpful resources, including fact sheets and training, to educate users on how to avoid, report and respond to ransomware.
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Essential resources on behavioral health management and de-escalating agitated patients during crisis.
This article discusses the necessity of considering behavioral health in planning for disaster recovery, and links to resources for training, planning, and receiving assistance for mental and behavioral health for emergencies.
“Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event,” The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
This information sheet helps build understanding of how children experience traumatic events and how they express lingering distress over the experience at different ages.
Quick Safety: De-escalation in health care
De-escalation is a first-line response to potential violence and aggression in health care settings. This document presents de-escalation models and interventions for managing aggressive and agitated patients in emergency rooms and inpatient settings.
De-escalation tips to use during times of high stress – Crisis Prevention Institute’s Top 10
This page lists practical tips for de-escalation and support for people in crisis.
Additional Resources
Disaster Response, Mental Health, and Community Resilience, Psychiatric Times
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Relevant information about hospital preparedness
Emergency Management, The Joint Commission
The Joint Commission Emergency Management webpage provides helpfully categorized links to best help hospitals prepare for disasters.
Hospital Preparedness Program, ASPR Health and Human Services
This website describes how the Hospital Preparedness Program supports regional collaboration and health care preparedness and response by encouraging the development and sustainment of health care coalitions (HCC).
This page compiles various resources to help healthcare providers, staff, hospital administrators, and CEOs plan for and respond to public health emergencies.