http://www.suwanneedemocrat.com/content/10/5323/Trinity+Community+Hos pital%2C+emergency+workers+ready+for+bio-terrorism+attack.htm
Trinity Community Hospital, emergency workers ready for bio- terrorism attack Author: Staff Publication Date: 2005-08-18 Medical professionals from Trinity Community Hospital used their recent training and new decontamination equipment to respond to a bio-terrorism exercise on Thursday, August 11. Hamilton County emergency workers and law enforcement officials also participated in the training event. The exercise began at 9 a.m. at the Hamilton County Health Department, where staff members applied "injuries" to the victims of a "terrorist bomb." Members of the Hamilton County Special Olympics basketball team represented the victims, who were then transported to the hospital in ambulances. Although the staff at Trinity was aware of the drill, they did not know when the patients would arrive. The wounded that could still walk were first washed off with water from a fire hose by a decontamination team dressed in full protective gear. The injured then entered a tent where they removed their clothes and put on hospital gowns. Hospital staff assessed the injuries of the victims and assigned them to specified areas for further treatment. Evaluators for the exercise monitored several aspects of emergency response, such as the staff's ability to decontaminate victims quickly and treat them without causing harm to themselves or others in their facility. After the exercise, the evaluators and state officials briefed the staff on the areas that were done well and the areas that needed improvement. According to Regional Health Public Information Officer Jacqueline Bauer, overall, the evaluators were impressed with the staff's response. Although the hospital received the new equipment only six months ago and the staff has been in training for only three months, the test on Thursday demonstrated that they are ready if a biological or chemical contamination should occur in the area. Gail Stewart, Regional Preparation Coordinator for Hospitals and EMS, said, "All of the participants performed extraordinarily well and pulled together to make the exercise a success. The community should be proud of the emergency and hospital workers and they can feel secure in the event of a chemical or terrorist event." The exercise was part of the federal homeland security effort aimed at protecting and treating victims of bio-terrorism. The state allocates money from federal sources to each of Florida's Domestic Security Task Force Regions. Each region assists hospitals to become better prepared to treat victims of bio-terrorism. In Florida, allocations for each region are primarily based upon population. At the local level, funding was earmarked for personal protective and decontamination equipment for hospitals. Emergency Management Services (EMS), law enforcement, and fire rescue also received a portion of the dollars. All of the "victims" seemed to enjoy the experience. Tony Paul said that he had fun and was glad to be able to help the community and Travis Jackson said that he learned a lot and would do it again. By completing this mock bio-terrorist event, Trinity has met the annual requirement of a full-scale exercise as part of the funding strategy. The support and involvement of Hamilton County Emergency Management, Hamilton County EMS, law enforcement and volunteers show the community's commitment to an integrated preparedness effort. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> <font face=arial size=-1><a href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12hhq1peo/M=362329.6886306.7839369.3040540/D=groups/S=1705323667:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1124651391/A=2894321/R=0/SIG=11dvsfulr/*http://youthnoise.com/page.php?page_id=1992 ">Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back!</a>.</font> --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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