Northwestern Medical Center recently conducted a drill designed to test the capabilities of the hospital’s Emergency Operations Plan in dealing with an influx of patients. More than 50 staff members were involved in the morning-long exercise including people from clinical, administrative and leadership team areas.
The exercise began with a briefing to the departments involved about a mock ‘event’ and the plan for the day’s drill. The drill scenario involved an explosion at a local manufacturer and the release of a harmful gas, causing a number of both critical and non-critical injuries. The Hospital’s Incident Command System was activated to deal with the mock event in exactly the manner that would be used for a real event.
The drill’s Incident Commander and command staff took over a space in the hospital which became the Hospital Command Center, the centralized location from which an emergency is handled. Staff involved in the drill prepared for an influx of patients, and then admitted and cared for them. The large number of injuries required the transfer of some patients to areas of the hospital designated to hold overflow in the event of an emergency. These areas were equipped with the necessary supplies, and staffed by clinicians who cared for the patients --- in this case cardboard cutouts used to represent injured community members. ‘
‘Taking care of our patients and employees is always the highest priority for NMC, so we take our drills very seriously, said Joy Sylvester, Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Development who acted as the Incident Commander during the drill. ‘We want to be prepared in the event of an emergency, and these drills are our opportunity to ensure we are ready for any situation.’
The process tested the hospital’s ability to triage, admit and treat patients while still caring for those already admitted. During the course of the exercise, Command Staff communicated with clinical command via radios and phone, ensured hospital supplies would meet demand, ramped up the available labor pool, handled security issues and distributed information to the press.
All activities were evaluated by controller/evaluators, two from NMC and one from the Vermont Department of Health St. Albans District Office. NMC conducts such drills on a regular basis and uses lessons learned from the exercises to refine and improve emergency preparedness.
‘Drills like these are important to test our ability to continue to offer exceptional care during the most difficult of circumstances,’ said Dan McCoy, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. ‘These drills also help us to learn new ways to refine our emergency operations plan.’’
Northwestern Medical Center is a vibrant, not-for-profit, community hospital, located in St. Albans, Vermont.’ For more information about NMC, please visit www.NorthwesternMedicalCenter.org.
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St. Albans (November 25, 2013) ‘ Northwestern Medical Center