Things could be a little squirrely at the hospital in Wallaceburg on Wednesday.
The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) in collaboration with Chatham-Kent Emergency Medical Services (CK EMS), Chatham-Kent Police Services (CKPS) and Chatham-Kent Fire & Rescue, have scheduled an emergency preparedness exercise at CKHA’s Wallaceburg site.
The exercise will simulate CKHA’s Emergency Code Orange. A Code Orange is called in the event of an external disaster, including natural disasters such as tornados, multiple vehicle accidents or event disasters, which would send a surge of people to the hospital for medical attention.
The Mock Code Orange will take place in the Emergency Department (ED) at the Wallaceburg Site at approximately 1 p.m.
As part of this exercise, mock patients will also be transported to the Chatham Site ED for treatment. Staff within both EDs will conduct the mock event in parallel with current patients in an effort to provide patients continuous care without disruption.
All staff within the mock area will follow Code Orange procedures during the event.
At the time of the mock, staff in all other units will conduct tabletop sessions to identify what action staff would take in a Code Orange emergency.
The Mock Code Orange emergency event will include CKHA staff, physicians and volunteers, as well as CK EMS, CKPS, Chatham-Kent Fire & Rescue and community volunteers.
Hospital officials stressed that people attending the ED and visitors to the hospital will not be affected by the exercise. All hospital entrances and departments will be open with services provided as usual.
