Article Out Loud – Lessons in Social Media – Preparing Kids and Community Leaders for Disasters

Full article by Patricia Frost and Michael Prasad, an Article Out Loud from Domestic Preparedness, August 7, 2024.

In this feature article, the vice chair of the National Pediatric Disaster Coalition and a certified emergency manager work together to prepare children and community leaders for disasters. Leveraging social media to create crisis communication campaigns can be an effective way to boost community outreach efforts and raise awareness of children’s unique needs in disaster planning and response.

Listen to expert insights on how governmental and non-governmental organizations can change disaster preparedness attitudes and behaviors for the benefit of the entire community.

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Patricia Frost

Patricia Frost, RN, PHN, MS, PNP, is vice chair of the National Pediatric Disaster Coalition. She is a subject matter expert in pediatric disaster emergency operations and management. Ms. Frost has over three decades of experience as a pediatric clinical, hospital, and prehospital public health and ambulatory care professional and educator at Children’s Hospital at Stanford. As a former county emergency medical services (EMS) director for Contra Costa County Emergency Medical Services in California, she held responsibilities for countywide disaster medical health response. Ms. Frost’s credentials include being an adjunct faculty for the TEEX National Pediatric Disaster Response and Preparedness Program, a consultant for the Region V for Kids Pediatric Disaster Consortium for Disaster Response, and a consultant for the Pediatric Pandemic Network. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Children and Disasters and sits on several national steering committees associated with the EMS for Children programs. Views expressed do not necessarily represent the official position of any of these organizations.

Michael Prasad

Michael Prasad is a Certified Emergency Manager®, a senior research analyst at Barton Dunant – Emergency Management Training and Consulting (www.bartondunant.com), and the executive director of the Center for Emergency Management Intelligence Research (www.cemir.org). Mr. Prasad recently joined the National Pediatric Disaster Coalition as a liaison advisor. He researches and writes professionally on emergency management policies and procedures from a pracademic perspective. His first book, “Emergency Management Threats and Hazards: Water,” is scheduled for publication by Taylor & Francis/CRC Press in September 2024 and includes these aspects for adverse impacts on children from disasters. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Ohio University and a Master of Arts in emergency and disaster management from American Public University. Views expressed do not necessarily represent the official position of any of these organizations.