[Scan-DC] Wash Hosp Ctr joins today's exercise

[Alan Henney]

EMERGENCY DRILL TESTS WASHINGTON HOSPITAL
CENTER’S DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

Area’s Largest Hospital to Test Mass-Injury Capabilities on December 7


WASHINGTON, D.C., December 5, 2006 --  How well a hospital’s front
line responders – physicians, nurses, medical support staff, and
administrators  - are prepared to deal with terrorism or natural
disaster can make a significant difference in how many lives are
saved. Washington Hospital Center, the region’s largest hospital, is
scheduled to test its ability to absorb large numbers of injured
patients during a scheduled mass-casualty incident drill beginning at
10:30 a.m. on December 7, 2006.

Media is invited to the Hospital Center campus, located at 110 Irving
Street, NW, to view portions of the exercise as medical caregivers
along with protective services officers, hospital administrators, and
support staff in the hospital adheres to the “practice makes perfect”
philosophy during a simulated emergency. The exercise is part of a
region-wide drill - including local law enforcement and military
agencies and Bethesda Naval Hospital - to test hospital capacity
capability. The Hospital Center’s participation in this exercise is
under the auspices of the Hospital Center’s ER One Institute.

“Through these exercises, we can better hone response capabilities of
not only our doctors, nurses and frontline responders, but the
capabilities of support personnel as well. It takes everyone working
at an optimum level of efficiency to provide the best care when events
around them seem overwhelming,” said Mark S. Smith, MD, chair of the
Hospital Center’s Department of Emergency Medicine, and director of
the ER One Institute.

During the exercises, mock “patients” with various types and degrees
of “injuries” will be brought to the Hospital Center via air and
ground transport where they will be evaluated by medical personnel as
to the severity of their conditions. The exercise is designed to test
response time and communications capabilities between the Hospital
Center, other regional medical facilities, public safety, and military
agencies. Patient volunteers include students participating in the
Hospital Center’s Youth Mentoring Program.