Stevens Hospital participated in a voluntary Puget Sound Regional Disaster drill May 13 in which health care organizations from Olympia to Bellingham practiced a regionwide response to contagious disease outbreak and chemical exposure scenarios. The military also participated in the drill.
Stevens Hospital coordinated with emergency management resources in King and Snohomish counties to provide care for and decontaminate “patients” injured by explosions and exposed to clouds of anhydrous ammonia. Twelve nursing students acted as “victims” during the drill.
Approximately 150 staff members participated in the drill. Employees from every department reported to the command center and/or the personnel pool to practice their role in a disaster.
The hospital successfully “decontaminated” 12 chemical exposure “victims” in the drill, and tested communication, triage and patient tracking.
“I am so impressed with the enthusiasm and dedication of our staff in regards to preparedness,” said Polly Junkermier-Poole, director of safety and security at Stevens Healthcare. “The Decon Team has put in many hours of training and practice and it was quite apparent that their hard work paid off. We were prepared in a timely manner, which enabled the victims to be triaged, transported to decon, decontaminated and then treated in the emergency department.”
Communication during the drill also went well, Junkermier-Poole said.
Some of Stevens Hospital drill objectives included:
• Coordinating with regional emergency management authorities.
• Drilling of decontamination system activation and equipment use.
• Practicing triage of contaminated victims without contaminating the Emergency Department staff and the Emergency Department.
• Practicing admitting procedure without contaminating admitting staff; yet appropriately tracking victims.
• Practicing communications among hospitals via Ham radio, 800 MHz radio and website.
• Practicing internal communications and notification of the disaster utilizing a variety of methods.
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