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By Michelle J. Jones
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 18, 1996
Gunshot wounds, alcohol poisoning and broken bones are just a few of the reasons one might go the emergency room, all of which University Medical Center is equipped to handle.But what happens when UMC faces a disaster or another influx of patients? The disaster preparedness plan is the hospital's guideline for what to do when the unexpected occurs.
All hospitals are required to hold at least three disaster drills a year, said Wanda Larson, UMC prehospital clinical educator.
These drills simulate an emergency that outstrips the hospital's internal resources. UMC responds to the call and other area hospitals and county resources assist, she said.
"In the disaster preparedness plan, there are specific roles for people to take, and the steps necessary to prepare for a large number of patients that might all need to be seen right away," Larson said.
Larson said that patients in a disaster are often triaged, or tagged with a color or number indicating their level of injuries. Some patients are going to die no matter what, so they are not treated in order to allow the staff to work with those who can be saved, she said.
UMC participated in a simulated plane crash held by the Tucson Airport Authority last night. The hospital received volunteer victims, transported by ambulance and helicopter from the airport.
UMC uses the drills to determine what in their disaster plan needs work, and what areas worked especially well, said Dan Judkins, UMC trauma coordinator.
"Our main problem in these drills is always communication," he said. "We have to try to connect all of the departments and the scene together to be able to estimate how many victims there will be."
Although not a lot of disasters occur in Tucson, Judkins said the hospital may put the disaster plan into effect at other times, such as when there are more people in need of medical attention in the emergency room than normal. Monday, for instance, there were three gunshot wounds and four motor vehicle crash victims in a period of about 15 minutes, he said.
The most recent disaster UMC dealt with was a large dust storm in Marana, just northwest of Tucson, last year that caused motor vehicle crashes and pile-ups on Interstate 10, Judkins said.
Larson said UMC is also a national receiving facility, which means if a large disaster, such as an earthquake, hits Los Angeles, patients already admitted to Los Angeles area hospitals may be transported to Tucson. This allows the local hospitals to care for victims of the disaster.
"How you manage the day-to-day determines how you handle the big one, and it makes everything easier to be as well-prepared as possible," she said.
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