Mass casualty drill at Valley Medical Center

First responders donned hazmat suits, complete with cooling vests to beat the heat, outside the Valley Medical Center emergency room to help triage a number of “patients » during a mass casualty exercise. The patients were students at a local nursing school who expressed symptoms, including one screaming for their daughter, and several mannequins, including a few swollen ones, that workers had to decontaminate.

The disaster drill simulated an explosion at a major sporting event here in the Bay Area, according to Jennifer Tong, MD, chief experience officer at Santa Clara Valley Healthcare and director of the operations team in case of disaster. The injured were covered in an unknown white powder and had to be decontaminated for possible hazardous materials before entering the hospital.

“Our exercise here today is really focused on what happens after individuals arrive at the hospital,” Tong said. “They could come by ambulance or private car.

“We are focused on how we would triage these patients, which ones need to be admitted to hospital urgently first and how we would ensure that these people can enter the hospital safely, without further be covered with dangerous materials. »

Valley Medical typically conducts two to three mass casualty exercises per year, some without the hazardous materials component. Around 100 first aiders from several departments, including emergency, radiology, language services, social work and members of the Red Cross, took part in the training.

“It’s really a critical part of our preparedness for any sort of major disaster here in the Bay Area,” Tong said. The incidents they train for can range from accidental to intentional, such as a terrorist event. They train and prepare to save lives if faced with such scenarios.

Lyan Cogan, a registered nurse, and Mario Holguin, a Protective Services security officer, were confronted by a “patient” who was staggering, appeared drunk, belligerent and shouting profanities. She was played by Masashi Endo, a nursing student from Mission College. Endo had to be “decontaminated” before entering the hospital. He appears to have made a full recovery and will graduate from Mission College next week.