No one wants to think about a significant tragedy striking our community. But, in the event of a man-made or natural disaster, the teams at Parkview Health want to be prepared.
With this in mind, in the early hours of October 3, hundreds of volunteers, caregivers and support teams took part in a full-scale mass casualty exercise at Parkview Regional Medical Center. The drill allowed leaders to evaluate plans for a mass casualty surge and our ability to handle a significant influx of patients in a limited time.
Those acting as victims received moulage makeup and prosthetic wounds to simulate actual injuries, and were assigned an array of afflictions at various degrees of severity. The team worked to triage the victims and address their needs in a quick, effective and safe manner.
Organizers and participants were sure to be sensitive to actual patients coming in for assistance. They utilized hallways and conference rooms as much as possible to eliminate any distractions or disruptions to delivering care.
The mass casualty drill demonstrated the teams’ competencies and offered vital intel for fine-tuning a number of plans and procedures. Efforts like this ensure that we are ready to serve our community in the event that a large-scale response is necessary.
