RALEIGH, N.C. - WakeMed Health & Hospitals and the Trauma Services Capital Regional Advisory Committee (CapRAC) are pleased to announce they have been awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to conduct disaster preparedness training exercises throughout the four county CapRAC region.
The grant was awarded to execute three disaster response drills over the next calendar year to practice and evaluate coordination of services and communication between affected hospitals and responding organizations. At least two hospitals, two emergency medical services (EMS) agencies and one public health agency will participate in each drill. The drills will evaluate the coordination between agencies, testing the effective use of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) guidelines.
Volunteer patients, “paper” patients and computerized patient human simulator manikins will be used as victims. The simulators, infant through adult, will be used to study the physiology of the effects of evacuation on multiple critically ill patients when resources are limited.
“The primary goal of the project is to strengthen the capabilities of the CapRAC hospitals to be able to perform partial or complete evacuations and for the receiving facilities to have increased capabilities to manage the resulting surge of patients,” commented Dr. Barb Bisset, executive director of the WakeMed Emergency Services Institute. “The region has experienced a number of evacuations in the recent past, including the evacuation of a long-term care facility related to the Apex fire. However, there have been no evacuation drills conducted between health care facilities in this region in the past 30 years.”
“North Carolina is vulnerable to tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters that could compromise our community’s health care resources,” said Dr. Bill Atkinson, president and CEO, WakeMed. “The best way to be prepared is to learn from experience. Real-life disaster simulation can ensure we are ready to respond, regardless of the situation. These drills will enable multiple health care organizations to practice coordination and communication under challenging circumstances.”
The program is entitled Project MoVEs (Modeling Via Evacuation Scenarios). The grant monies were awarded as part of the 2007 Healthcare Facilities Partnership Program and were supported by numerous public officials and organizations, including U.S. Senator Richard Burr, the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services and Wake County Human Services.
“Last year, WakeMed was selected as one of five Best Preparedness Practice hospitals in the United States by the National Foundation for Trauma Care,” continued Bisset. “Specifically, WakeMed was recognized for its plans to manage sudden patient surges and the resulting impact on the Emergency Department and inpatient capacity. We are looking forward to sharing our expertise with others in the CapRAC region.”
In 2007, WakeMed’s Emergency Service Institute (ESI) was asked by the North Carolina State Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) to develop a surge capacity template that could be used in all hospitals in North Carolina. In 2008, ESI will be coordinating efforts with the North Carolina Hospital Association and with OEMS to provide training workshops for hospitals to assist hospitals in the development of their surge plans.
About CapRAC
CapRAC comprises a four county (Wake, Franklin, Harnett and Lee counties) metropolitan and rural planning region located in central North Carolina established by the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services to promote the coordination of trauma care. The CapRAC also serves as a disaster medical response planning region, utilizing local, state and federal resources to improve disaster medical response in Raleigh and surrounding areas. The region includes 360 health care facilities with 8,700 state licensed acute care beds. The health care facilities include six hospitals, four county EMS agencies, four county health agencies, three mental health hospitals, 104 nursing homes and 243 mental health homes. WakeMed Health &Hospitals serves as the lead trauma center for the CapRAC.
Read More:News & Observer
February 23rd, 2008 at 12:42 am
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