On Wednesday July 24th, the Emergency Management Department at Jamaica Hospital staged a full-scale, mass casualty incident, or Code Yellow drill. The intent of this drill was to test the hospital’s preparedness during an actual event by assessing our ability to treat a major surge of patients without affecting the care being provided to our current patients.
During the mock event, which was coordinated with the Port Authority of NY / NJ, Jamaica Hospital was to receive between 20-30 victims from an airline incident at JFK Airport. The hospital’s Emergency Response Plan (ERP) was immediately put into place to react to this mass casualty incident that required staff to identify and triage patients, assess the severity of their injuries, and provide appropriate and immediate care.
The goals and objectives of this exercise were to evaluate our preparedness in a mass casualty incident and to check the performance of many key areas. Part of the assessment involved making sure that the hospital’s internal communication procedures for the activation of a Code Yellow event worked. Also evaluated was our capability to perform a mass casualty patient triage and track patients using our electronic medical record system, manage our ED space and ED supplies efficiently, and make sure that we are able to manage our Operating Rooms effectively during a surge of patients. Other facets of the drill tested our ability to utilize space on our Transitional Care Unit and at the Trump Pavilion.
This exercise took months of planning and coordination by the Emergency Management Department, who evaluated the entire event with other clinical and administrative leaders. By carefully planning and testing our capabilities, the hospital can address areas where improvements can be made and remain prepared in the event a real disaster occurs.