Rehearsing for the big one

Hospital Commanding Officer Capt. Raquel Bono said hospital beneficiaries should be aware that the drills will impact hospital Outpatient Clinic appointments and that they might notice some unusual activity at the hospital and its BHCs related to the drill.

Bono noted that the drill is required of hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) every five years. "More importantly, she said, "the event is crucial in ensuring that hospital and BHC personnel are fully prepared to cope with a real disaster as quickly and effectively as possible, when time saved can mean lives saved."

The drill will be integrated with a base-wide drill coordinated by NAS Jacksonville responders. Simultaneously, all seven of the hospital's Branch Health Clinics located throughout Georgia and Florida will execute their own drills, all feeding information to the hospital Emergency Operations Center (EOC) said Hospital Disaster Preparedness Officer Dana Shropshire. The drill scenarios will involve both natural and man-made disasters, varied at each military installation. They are designed to give the response teams experience with a disaster as overwhelming and diverse as what responders were faced with in Hurricane Katrina.

Cognizant of the effect that this evolution could have on the hospital and BHC beneficiary population, Bono and the hospital's Executive Steering Committee (ESC) directed in early December that Outpatient Clinic appointment scheduling be curtailed for the period of the drill. The hospital drill begins at 11 a.m., therefore, the last patients booked on Jan. 19 in the clinic areas will be seen at 10:40 a.m.

"The Central Appointments Office is working to limit inconvenience for our beneficiaries as much as possible," Bono explained. "They've blocked out appointment bookings for the hours of the drill. Although no one should be scheduled for that time period, if you are concerned about your appointment for that day you can call Central Appointments at 542-4677."

The hospital Emergency Department and Urgent Care will continue to see patients with emergent and acute conditions. Beneficiaries may notice increased activity as personnel portraying "victims" arrive in the Emergency Department for care.

Both the Navy Exchange Satellite Pharmacy and the hospital pharmacy will provide services as normal during the drill.

In-patient care will also continue in a normal routine, including admission of visitors. Hospital patients and visitors may notice security personnel at the hospital entrances who may ask for identification from people entering and leaving the facility, just as they would in the aftermath of a real mass casualty event. They may also hear directions to those participating in the drill broadcast on the hospital public address system.

Bono expressed her apologies for any delays or inconvenience this drill might cause beneficiaries and her appreciation for their cooperation. The staff looks forward to continuing normal services when the drill is over, delivering the best healthcare available to our military family.