Skip to contents
In This Issue:
BWH put its emergency preparedness skills to the test last week during a rigorous Code Amber Internal drill that involved nearly 100 hospital staff.
The drill started with BWH Security presenting OR staff with this scenario: a lab employee had been injured and was assisted to the Emergency Department by a co-worker and immediately transferred to the OR for surgery. During surgery, those in the OR began to feel sick and could not continue. At that point of the drill, dozens of staff—including nurses, anesthesiologists, surgeons, administrators and others—collaborated to figure out what caused this sudden illness and determine the best response to manage the situation.
“That’s exactly what we wanted to happen,” said Barry Wante, BWH’s new emergency preparedness program manager. “We had a good discussion in the OR, and that’s how we build stronger procedures and better training for everyone.”
The drill continued up in the Duncan Reid conference room, which serves as BWH’s Emergency Operations Center. Chief Medical Officer and Incident Commander Andy Whittemore, MD, led the hospital’s response.
Also on hand was visitor David Baker, MPhil, DM, FRCA, FRSM, a consultant medical toxicologist with the Health Protection Agency in London and a consultant anesthesiologist with the Service d’Aide, Medical Urgente in Paris. Baker observed the entire drill and commended both the thoroughness of the exercise and the swift response of staff.
“We got a lot of great feedback,” Wante said. “Like all exercises of this nature, this drill was designed to show us what’s needed as far as changes in policies, equipment and other areas.”
BWH will conduct drills regularly, adding unannounced emergency drills throughout the hospital in specific areas to maintain continual preparedness.
“Having awareness of potential hazards and risks that can happen in a hospital environment makes for a safer, more secure environment,” said Wante, who joined BWH in April. Wante retired as police chief in Keene, N.H, in 2002, and worked for the last five years as branch chief of Homeland Security for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.