By Breanna Smith, American Academy of Pediatrics
As some of you might be aware, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are working together to ensure that all infants, children, adolescents, young adults, and their parents are prepared in case of emergencies. There is a unique opportunity for AAP members in Federal Region III, which includes select AAP chapters (Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, DC) to receive free print materials from FEMA to initiate conversations with families to help them become aware of hazards in the region, create an emergency plan, and build an emergency supply kit. The attached template letter/message was shared with your state Chapter members. In some Chapters, this information was shared multiple times. Unfortunately, we have only heard from one person in all states requesting these materials. We are reaching out to see if there are other ways we could try to get the message out so members know this material is available. We plan to use AAP communication vehicles, and to ask members in other states to check with their colleagues about their interest, however, we still need your help. If you have any ideas or receive any responses from anyone, please email me.