1. Letter of Acknowledgement

To the readers, contributors, and communities served by the Toolkit, The Pediatric Pandemic Network (PPN) is honored to share this Pediatric Disaster Behavioral Health Toolbox. It is the product of more than a year of collaborative work, drawing on the expertise of a broad-spectrum subject matter experts from across the pediatric disaster care ecosystem. We are grateful to every reviewer and contributor who lent time, judgment, and lived experience to its development.

We are equally grateful to the institutions and agencies that supported this effort. This work was funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), with foundational support from the Pediatric Pandemic Network’s member children’s hospitals and contributions from federal and state agencies, professional societies, academic institutions, and community-based organizations across the country. The Toolkit and Toolbox reflect the strength of these partnerships and the willingness of leaders across the field to meet a difficult subject with rigor and care.

The Toolkit and Toolbox do not stand alone. They are intended to complement, not replace, the substantial body of guidance already produced by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Emergency Medical Services for Children Innovation and Improvement Center, and many others. Where existing resources speak well to a question, we point to them. Where we believe a gap exists in pediatric- and disaster-specific implementation guidance, we have tried to fill it. We are indebted to the authors of every framework we have drawn from.

Most importantly, we acknowledge the children, adolescents, and families whose experiences make this work necessary. Behind every recommendation in these pages is a child who lived through a hurricane, a school shooting, a pandemic, a wildfire, a flood, or a displacement; a parent or caregiver who carried that child through it; and a clinician, teacher, or first responder who was present in the hardest moments. The PPN exists to serve them, and to ensure that when the next disaster comes, the children and families in its path are met by a health system that is ready, that is disaster-informed, and that recognizes pediatric mental and behavioral health as central to disaster response, not peripheral to it.

We invite you to engage with the Toolkit and Toolbox, to challenge and improve it, and to bring it to life in your institutions and communities.

With gratitude,

On behalf of the Pediatric Pandemic Network and the Mental & Behavioral Health Domain

Trevor Covington, MS, CEM - Lead Author and Mental & Behavioral Health Domain Manager

Christopher Gable, DO - Senior Author and Mental & Behavioral Health Domain Lead