Recently, more than 100 UCHealth physicians, nurses, and other staff members from three UCHealth hospitals in northern Colorado and UCHealth EMS huddled around maps and computers in Johnstown for a scheduled tabletop emergency preparedness exercise that was based on a fictional explosion and partial collapse of a nearby large retail establishment.
The teams coordinated the transport, triage, admission, and care for more than 50 fictional patients from the field to the operating rooms and to their hospital rooms. The response included discussions and maneuvers to ensure all the necessary staffing, supplies, space, and equipment along the way.
Hospital teams are constantly preparing for and practicing responses to various emergency situations, according to UCHealth’s regional emergency preparedness manager, Jason Eisenbach.
“It’s not a matter of if, but when something will happen,” Eisenbach said. “That’s why it’s important to finetune our processes and train our staff. You never know when these things will occur.”
