July 28, 2011: Markey, Eshoo: We Must Protect Our Children In The Case Of A Disaster
WASHINGTON, D.C – Today, Representatives Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), senior members of the Energy and Commerce Committee, secured passage of improvements to our nation’s capability to meet the needs of children in the case of a disaster or a public health emergency. With bipartisan support, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed a reauthorization of H.R. 2405, the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act, a bill which established the nation’s foundation for public health and emergency preparedness. The new Markey and Eshoo-authored provisions will help to ensure that hospitals are prepared to handle a surge of pediatric patients in the event of an emergency and that our nation’s emergency stockpile contains the medical treatments necessary for children.
“When it comes to our nation’s preparedness for emergencies or disasters, children’s unique needs should not be relegated to the kids table,” said Rep. Markey. “This legislation rightly puts the needs of pediatric populations at the main table, ensuring that our emergency stockpiles and hospitals are prepared to handle a spike in demand for pediatric medical care.”
“Children are among the most vulnerable in our country and they deserve special attention in the event of a public health emergency,” said Rep. Eshoo. “The provisions we authored will bring transparency and accountability to disaster programs. While I pray that we never need these medical countermeasures for our children, I’m confident that we’re working towards full-preparedness for all our citizens, especially the youngest among us.”
Although children represent nearly 25 percent of the U.S. population, the nation is unprepared to address their needs fully in the case of a disaster or public health emergency. According to the National Commission on Children and Disaster 2010 Report, the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), intended to provide the public with medicine and medical supplies in the event of a public health emergency, “is woefully under-stocked with medical countermeasures for children.
Specifically, the provisions authored by Reps. Markey and Eshoo would:
• Improve hospital preparedness to deal with a spike in pediatric patients. The bill amends the Hospital Preparedness Program, which provides grants to enhance hospital emergency preparedness, to state that grant applicants should have the capacity to handle a sudden and steep increase in the number of pediatric patients being treated in their emergency rooms in the event of an emergency.
• Identify gaps in the Strategic National Stockpile and develop a plan to address them. The bill instructs the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness Response (ASPR) to identify pediatric gaps in the SNS, intended to provide the public with medicine and medical supplies in the event of an emergency, and to develop a plan to address those gaps. The ASPR will provide an annual progress report to Congress.
• Expand the availability of pediatric countermeasures. Accelerate the development of medical countermeasures, including for pediatric populations, by strengthening the Federal Drug Administration’s role in reviewing products for national security priorities.
Children’s smaller and developing bodies make them particularly vulnerable to certain biological, chemical, radiological, and nuclear threats. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, for example, children breathe more rapidly and thus would ingest or inhale relatively larger doses of threatening or hazardous substances. Children also require different medications and medical devices than adults, such as appropriately-sized auto-injectors or face masks.
In a letter to Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), Dr. O. Marion Burton, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, expressed appreciation for the legislation. “We would also like to commend the leadership of Representatives Anna Eshoo and Ed Markey for language in the bill related to the needs of pediatric populations in the Countermeasure Implementation Plan as well as language that helps address the preparedness and surge capacity of hospitals for pediatric and other at-risk populations.”
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