Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children to Lead Northern Virginia Hospitals in Disaster Planning for Pediatric Patients

Federal Grant Money to Be Distributed for Training, Education, Equipment

Falls Church, VA  – (June 1, 2009) — As the only full-service children’s hospital in Northern Virginia, Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children is proud to be taking the lead role in planning for the care of pediatric patients in the event of a disaster, such as a mass casualty or pandemic event. The hospital will work with the Northern Virginia Hospital Alliance (NVHA), which received a $540,000 grant to prepare the region for treatment of critically injured children in a disaster.

NVHA (an alliance of 13 hospitals throughout Northern Virginia specializing in emergency response) and Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children will focus on enhancing the capabilities of the region’s facilities that specialize in children’s healthcare and to augment the capabilities of hospitals that do not offer pediatric critical care on a daily basis.

“Children have unique needs that have rarely been addressed in disaster planning,” said David Goldberg, Administrator, Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children. “The funds from this grant will enable us to take the critical step of integrating pediatric plans into the regional health-system disaster plans. We want to make sure that every healthcare facility in the region is prepared to handle the specialized needs of sick children.”

The grant will fund improvement and updating of regional and hospital pediatric emergency-response plans, acquisition of specialty pediatric equipment and supplies, and pediatric emergency-response training.

The $540,000 grant is part of the $1.8 million awarded to the National Capital Region (NCR) by the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) for the purpose of strengthening the region’s health and medical readiness.

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research. Inova provides a healthy environment for its patients, families, visitors, staff and physicians by prohibiting tobacco use on its campuses.