The shelves stocked at the Tyrone Hospital may not hold vaccinations for small pox, ebola or anthrax, but leaders at the 75-bed facility believe its disaster preparedness/emergency response plan could help save lives in the case of a local terroristic event.
“The hospital regularly conducts disaster drills to test systems and as preparedness training for staff,” said Brian Katzer, director of environmental services and safety director at the hospital. “These drills are conducted in cooperation with other key players in the community, such as fire and rescue personnel and police.”
The drills and practice sessions are held once every six months.
“The purpose of the plan is to quickly mobilize the entire hospital to respond to the emergency need,” said Katzer. “The plan also addresses interaction with other providers in the immediate area and region so that patients are promptly directed or transferred to appropriate facilities to meet special medical needs.”
According to Theresa Yanchetz, director of marketing and communications at the hospital, the hospital has established a Safety Committee to oversee all safety aspects of the facility.
“In these times we are living in, there are ongoing discussions within the hospital, community, region, state and nationally about safety and disaster preparedness,” said Yanchetz.
To better its readiness, the hospital’s staff will participate in an upcoming state wide emergency drill. This drill is organized by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and is being coordinated locally by the Blair County Emergency Management Agency.
According to Katzer, the upcoming drill will be based on a catastrophic winter storm event. She said it will test emergency alert and response systems.
Because Tyrone Hospital is such a small facility, it cannot handle a large-scaled terroristic event; however, it does contain many valuable pieces of medical equipment and a well-educated staff that could help lessen casualties in such an event.
As stated earlier, the hospital does not stock vaccines. Yanchetz said the stocking of vaccines in hospitals across the commonwealth is currently being addressed at the state level. She said the state has created regional counter terrorism task forces and provided points of contacts for emergency situations.
For personnel, Tyrone hospital staffs a number of doctors and nurses who specialize in specific areas of medical care. But if more medical staff is needed in an event, Yanchetz said the hospital’s disaster preparedness/emergency response plan has instruction for contacting these additional sources.
Burn patients can be stabilized at the facility, but cannot be treated there. Yanchetz said patients could be evaluated and stabilized until they could be transported to a facility that provides treatment for severe burns.
“In our area, patients who need this type of care are typically transported to West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh,” she said.
For patients who have been chemically contaminated, Linda Irvin, RN, an emergency room nurse, said the hospital utilizes a portable decontamination unit.
“Our small hospital is not equipped to handle a large-scale event by itself,” said Katzer. “In the case of a large-scale event, all area providers would work together to meet the needs of the public. This is why all healthcare providers have disaster plans.”
