January 25, 2008

Rain, sleet or snow, MGH Emergency Preparedness is ready to go

It is a frightening scenario — on a cold January evening, thousands of spectators are packed into the nearby TD Banknorth Garden to cheer on the Boston Bruins when a chemical agent is suddenly released into the crowd during intermission. Many people immediately experience respiratory distress and other symptoms and rush to the MGH, just blocks away, for care and decontamination.

MGH staff members practice a wintertime disaster drill under the decontamination tent.

Fortunately, this was not a real-life emergency, but part of a drill sponsored by MGH Emergency Preparedness, the Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Team and
the Emergency Department (ED) Jan. 16 to test the MGH's ability to respond to a wintertime disaster. With more than 40 volunteer "victims" seeking treatment, the drill included the MGH's first deployment of the Zumro, a special holding shelter where patients can stay warm while awaiting decontamination. The exercise also allowed the MGH to test its newly refined HAZMAT Response Plan, which has undergone changes to accommodate the construction of the Building for the Third Century. Members of the Boston chapter of the Young President's Organization were on hand to observe the drill and learn about the components of a disaster response from staff of the ED and CIMIT.

On Jan. 8, MGH Emergency Preparedness sponsored a separate exercise in
collaboration with the Minor Treatment Unit and the Centralized Ambulatory Screening and Treatment Work Group to test its ability to set up a supplemental
care area in the event of an epidemic — such as flu or hepatitis — that overwhelms ambulatory practices. Taking place in the Wang Ambulatory Care Center, the drill also addressed the need for a high-volume screening clinic in the event of an
outbreak of an infectious disease.

For more information about MGH Emergency Preparedness, contact Craig Cochran, administrative manager, at ccochran@partners.org.