Dozens of nurses and doctors at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport spent Tuesday morning engaged in a hands-on emergency preparedness drill.
The drill, which began just after 9:30 a.m., involved several scenarios designed to strengthen coordination among staff members and departments.
In a press release, the medical center said the drill is part of Hartford HealthCare’s ongoing commitment to safety, preparedness and continuous improvement in emergency response protocols.
The first part of the drill was a simulation in which the medical facility experienced a cyberattack, resulting in the loss of electronic medical records.
While department leads and St. Vincent's executives worked in the command center to coordinate a plan, they simultaneously learned of a mass casualty event that involved an active shooter and an explosion.
Patients being transported to the medical center suffered from gunshot wounds and other severe injuries.
"It definitely probably raises your blood pressure a little bit, and everyone is kind of, you know, the adrenaline is pumping. But I think that's actually really important. I think the more we practice that, the calmer we can be. It lessens the chaos in the moment, and it prepares us so that if anything ever happens, we are better prepared to be able to treat the community members, our patients," said Andrew Turczak, senior vice president of operations for the Fairfield Region of Hartford Healthcare.
Turczak said they've been planning the drill for months. Connecticut's Amateur Radio Emergency Service also participated in the drill by helping the medical center communicate with other hospitals and emergency agencies.
The simulation also involved an increase in patients.
"As a growing trauma center and becoming a referral center we do get our fair share of transfers and patients, and we have seen an increase in our trauma volume up to 15%, since I've been here, so we are practicing on getting better for those surgeries," Alejandro Betancourt, chief of acute care surgery and trauma at St. Vincent's Medical Center said.
Turczak said there are always opportunities to improve the communication, which is something they'll work on before the next drill.
