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Source: http://www.corsicanadailysun.com/new...135003302.html
Published: May 14, 2008 12:33 am
Pandemic training exercise a success
By Loyd Cook
The stretchers line the halls, forming a train that stretches out through the emergency room doors of the hospital ? victims of a pandemic outbreak of a different strain of flu. Doctors work frantically, administering medications as they evaluate the patients they must treat.
Elsewhere, in a central location, emergency management command staff field phone calls, faxes and e-mails full of information and reports on a developing health situation ? the death rate is up, 42 percent of the fatalities are children.
It?s the worst-possible case scenario, starting with a notification and escalating constantly.
And it isn?t real ... yet.
Emergency response personnel from various fields of endeavor gathered at Navarro Regional Hospital Tuesday ? in a classroom setting and receiving these ?made up? situational reports ? to work their way through a tabletop exercise designed to give them experience in dealing with a widespread health crisis.
Frank Martinez, director of marketing and business development at the hospital, said the exercise was important to develop a natural, speedier response to a crisis.
?You want to make sure that you?re working on instinct, that the protocols are air tight and second nature,? Martinez said.
And the cross-section of the area?s emergency response professionals present at the staged scenario Tuesday was an impressive one, he said.
?This is an impressive group of stakeholders in the situation,? Martinez said. ?It?s a diverse group of stakeholders, proficient in problem solving abilities.?
Eric Meyers Jr., the county?s emergency management coordinator, and Corsicana Fire Chief Donald McMullan, the city?s emergency management coordinator, headed up a group of local response personnel that covered the spectrum.
It was a spectrum that included representatives from the fire department, Corsicana ISD, the county health department, American Red Cross, and VOAD as well as Navarro Regional Hospital.
Meyers said the group identified a lot of different areas where they felt they were in good shape and some that had room for improvement.
He said communication, the mix of personnel and the representation of volunteers were all areas the group was comfortable with.
?The biggest need we identified was in the area of bilingual communication,? Meyers said. ?In an emergency situation, getting the information out, passing on the technical things that need to be known, that?s all important ... and we feel that?s an area we need to improve in.?
The emergency management coordinator said the establishment of a call center is a resource that would be invaluable.
?In the case of a pandemic situation, there?s going to be a large influx of calls from people wanting information and help,? Meyers said.
Adding training for employers and the general public is important as well, he said, noting that most people are familiar with what to do in the case of a tornado or hurricane, but the onset of avian flu would be a different situation altogether.
Martinez said the group worked toward clarifying the chain of command to make it clear where the decisions are to come from during an emergency and the paths through which those decisions are to flow.
Paying attention, ahead of time, to what problems might come up and having contingency plans in place to address those problems when they arise was another key area of attention during Tuesday?s training exercise.
?It?s the type of thing where you have a lot of different protocols, both from the standpoint of the hospital and for the community,? Martinez said.
Meyers said knowing that a widespread health epidemic would be regional points out another fact ? that outside resources would be limited and local authorities would be tasked with doing more.
?The exercise was a good thing for us with a lot of participation across the board,? Meyers said. ?I think that we made a lot of people more aware of what could happen and what kind of responses we can put forth to take care of the public.?
?????
Loyd Cook may be reached via e-mail at lcook@corsicanadailysun.com
Published: May 14, 2008 12:33 am
Pandemic training exercise a success
By Loyd Cook
The stretchers line the halls, forming a train that stretches out through the emergency room doors of the hospital ? victims of a pandemic outbreak of a different strain of flu. Doctors work frantically, administering medications as they evaluate the patients they must treat.
Elsewhere, in a central location, emergency management command staff field phone calls, faxes and e-mails full of information and reports on a developing health situation ? the death rate is up, 42 percent of the fatalities are children.
It?s the worst-possible case scenario, starting with a notification and escalating constantly.
And it isn?t real ... yet.
Emergency response personnel from various fields of endeavor gathered at Navarro Regional Hospital Tuesday ? in a classroom setting and receiving these ?made up? situational reports ? to work their way through a tabletop exercise designed to give them experience in dealing with a widespread health crisis.
Frank Martinez, director of marketing and business development at the hospital, said the exercise was important to develop a natural, speedier response to a crisis.
?You want to make sure that you?re working on instinct, that the protocols are air tight and second nature,? Martinez said.
And the cross-section of the area?s emergency response professionals present at the staged scenario Tuesday was an impressive one, he said.
?This is an impressive group of stakeholders in the situation,? Martinez said. ?It?s a diverse group of stakeholders, proficient in problem solving abilities.?
Eric Meyers Jr., the county?s emergency management coordinator, and Corsicana Fire Chief Donald McMullan, the city?s emergency management coordinator, headed up a group of local response personnel that covered the spectrum.
It was a spectrum that included representatives from the fire department, Corsicana ISD, the county health department, American Red Cross, and VOAD as well as Navarro Regional Hospital.
Meyers said the group identified a lot of different areas where they felt they were in good shape and some that had room for improvement.
He said communication, the mix of personnel and the representation of volunteers were all areas the group was comfortable with.
?The biggest need we identified was in the area of bilingual communication,? Meyers said. ?In an emergency situation, getting the information out, passing on the technical things that need to be known, that?s all important ... and we feel that?s an area we need to improve in.?
The emergency management coordinator said the establishment of a call center is a resource that would be invaluable.
?In the case of a pandemic situation, there?s going to be a large influx of calls from people wanting information and help,? Meyers said.
Adding training for employers and the general public is important as well, he said, noting that most people are familiar with what to do in the case of a tornado or hurricane, but the onset of avian flu would be a different situation altogether.
Martinez said the group worked toward clarifying the chain of command to make it clear where the decisions are to come from during an emergency and the paths through which those decisions are to flow.
Paying attention, ahead of time, to what problems might come up and having contingency plans in place to address those problems when they arise was another key area of attention during Tuesday?s training exercise.
?It?s the type of thing where you have a lot of different protocols, both from the standpoint of the hospital and for the community,? Martinez said.
Meyers said knowing that a widespread health epidemic would be regional points out another fact ? that outside resources would be limited and local authorities would be tasked with doing more.
?The exercise was a good thing for us with a lot of participation across the board,? Meyers said. ?I think that we made a lot of people more aware of what could happen and what kind of responses we can put forth to take care of the public.?
?????
Loyd Cook may be reached via e-mail at lcook@corsicanadailysun.com