PPN: Helping HRSA Build Pediatric Emergency & Disaster Readiness
Overview
Children require specialized care during emergencies and disasters, but many hospitals and emergency systems aren't equipped to maintain pediatric readiness. It matters: Hospitals with high pediatric readiness scores see mortality drop by up to 76% among critically injured children and 60% among critically ill children. The Pediatric Pandemic Network (PPN), supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), helps children's hospitals and their communities close that gap and prepare for public health emergencies.
Challenge: Expanding Pediatric Preparedness
Many children, especially those living in rural areas, end up in community hospital emergency departments that mainly treat adults. These hospitals lack pediatric staff and supplies. To close this gap, PPN needed to expand its reach beyond its original hospitals and get evidence-based pediatric practices into more emergency departments and communities.
Solution: Strategic Support for a National Network
Altarum leads strategic support services for PPN, helping the Network plan for growth and assess hospital readiness. We coordinate communication between hospitals, HRSA, and community partners, developing resources and publications that share leading practices more broadly.
Results: Stronger Readiness, Broader Reach
When shooting broke out at the 2024 Kansas City Super Bowl parade, Children's Mercy Hospital, a PPN hospital, used relationships built through the Network to coordinate quickly with local emergency services and trauma centers, so injured children got fast, high-quality care. That’s just one example.
PPN has grown from 10 participating children's hospitals to 14, extending pediatric-ready care into more of HRSA's regions. Because higher readiness scores are linked to lower mortality among critically ill and injured children, that expansion helps more communities prepare to deliver pediatric emergency care when it matters most. Altarum's assessments and strategic planning continue to help HRSA and PPN strengthen readiness across the Network.