Friday morning, Maria Parham Health in coordination with Vance County Emergency Operations conducted an Emergency Preparedness Drill at Maria Parham Health on Ruin Creek Road. The drill was scheduled to last 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. EST.
The Emergency Preparedness Drill was a joint training exercise that tested the preparedness and response of local, regional and state agencies should a real crisis occur. More than 100 volunteers, hospital employees and local emergency responders took part in this mock emergency preparedness drill. The drill began at 9:00 am, however set up and preparations began as early as 6:00 am.
The event staged by the Maria Parham Health Emergency Preparedness Team focused on response plans for an actual disaster, which could trigger a sudden influx of patients, media, concerned community members and the “worried well” to the hospital.
The full scale mass-casualty drill was conducted in collaboration with multiple partner agencies including the Henderson Police Department, Vance County Sherriff’s Office, Henderson-Vance County Emergency Operations, Vance County Emergency Services, City of Henderson Fire Department, Duke Healthcare Coalition and Maria Parham Health. The scenario for the practice event was a simulated active shooter on hospital grounds.
Organizers cautioned ahead of time that the event was a significant exercise and the local community could expect to see emergency responders at Maria Parham Health looking and acting as if it were a true disaster. Normal hospital Emergency Department operations and patient care were not be affected by the drill in any way.
Hospitals are required by The Joint Commission to have disaster response plans in place and conduct periodic drills for improvement and training purposes.