|
|
|
|
NMC To Conduct Drill of External Triage Capabilities
St. Albans, Vt.-- As part of continuing preparations relating to H1N1 and the hospital’s ongoing emergency preparedness efforts, NMC will conduct a drill of its external triage capabilities on Friday, October 16.
The drill will simulate a large number of patients arriving at the NMC. These simulated patients will be screened in NMC’s Field Operations Unit, a specially designed tent which will be set up outside the Emergency Department. Each simulated patient will be directed to care in one of three manners: those needing emergent care; those needing urgent care; and those with symptoms of influenza-like illness who do not require care inside the hospital.
“This drill will help us test our systems in the event we experience something like what has been seen in other parts of the country,” said Wes Miller, NMC’s Emergency Preparedness & Safety Officer. “External triage helps decompress the Emergency Department and relieve some of the strain inside the facility. Plus, the fewer potentially infectious people who enter the hospital, the better able we are to prevent further spread of an infection.”
The external triage drill is scheduled to run from 9:30am to 11:30am, with set-up and take-down outside those hours. Access to the real services of the Emergency Department and the rest of the hospital will not be disrupted by the drill. However, individuals arriving at the hospital during the drill will see the Field Operations Unit in place as well as “drill in progress” signs. Their cars will be stopped for a brief conversation prior to being allowed to proceed to their destination. In an actual situation, that conversation would include instructions relating to the situation, including who can visit the hospital at that time, how to access external triage, and other important information.
#### |
|