McCook, Neb. – The Community Hospital Health Foundation (CHHF) is proud to announce the approval of a grant to the Clinical Education – Nursing Department for the purchase of a state-of-the-art pediatric disaster preparedness training kit. This investment will significantly enhance the hospital’s readiness to respond to pediatric emergencies and mass casualty incidents. While the kit is pediatric-focused, it also includes adult and animal patient scenarios, making it a comprehensive tool for mass casualty incident training. Pediatric triage has been identified as a training gap, and this kit will help build confidence and competence in that area.

The grant funded the acquisition of the Disasters in Seconds training kit—an advanced, hands-on system designed for use by EMS, hospitals, military, and fire services. The kit includes 30 realistic, child-sized, full-color PVC boards known as “Mani-Kids,” representing patients from infancy through adolescence. These durable and washable boards feature permanent injury simulations, offering an immersive, lifelike training experience.

Additional components include: 5 “Mega Mani-Kids” for large-scale simulations, 3 “Mani-Mutts” representing service animals, K-9 units, and other support animals, pre-built Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) scenarios for emergencies such as tornadoes, plane crashes, fires, and school bus accidents, and supplemental scenarios.

Each scenario is supported by realistic sound effects, patient triage cards, reusable injury simulation pieces, and triage tarps for organizing patients by severity. Training participants are eligible to earn continuing education credits.

“We are grateful to the Community Hospital Health Foundation for making this possible and excited to integrate the new kit into our training program,” said Todd Hovey, Clinical Education Coordinator. “This resource will strengthen our preparedness and allow us to train not only our hospital staff but also EMS, law enforcement, and fire personnel across Southwest Nebraska. The system will be used in internal hospital training, county disaster drills, and wide-scale emergency responder exercises. As an educator, this kit helps provide reproducible, hands-on education for both students and instructors, enhancing understanding of mass casualty triage concepts and improving training consistency. Ultimately, this investment will help save lives and improve outcomes for our youngest patients.”

“This grant reflects the Health Foundation’s ongoing commitment to advancing healthcare quality and supporting innovative training solutions that protect and strengthen the community,” said Health Foundation Director Jessica Bortner. “We are especially grateful to our generous donors whose continued support makes these vital investments in healthcare education and preparedness possible.”

CUTLINE: Todd Hovey, Clinical Education Coordinator, stands with the newly acquired Disasters in Seconds training kit. The display includes life-size pediatric patient boards, disaster survival bags, and other emergency preparedness tools used for mass casualty incident training.