Leadership and hospital preparedness: disaster management and emergency services in pediatrics.

Background: : The purpose of this article is to describe the role of leadership in hospital preparedness in addressing the needs of pediatric patients in times of disaster and emergency.

Methods: : Descriptive article was derived from conference presentation of current practice by health care leaders.

Results: : Leadership is critical in emergency preparedness.

Meeting hospital needs for standardized emergency codes--the HASC response.

The need for proper and uniform response to emergency situations in hospitals was brought home conclusively to the Hospital Association of Southern California when three persons were killed in a shooting incident at an area medical center after the wrong emergency code was called. This article describes how the association developed and promoted its publication Healthcare Facility Emergency Codes: A Guide For Standardization and how member hospitals have responded to it.