Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) has scheduled an emergency preparedness exercise at CKHA’s Chatham Site for Wednesday, September 12, 2018.
The exercise will simulate the Ontario Hospital Association’s Emergency Code Orange.
A Code Orange is called in the event of an external disaster, including natural disasters such as tornadoes, 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 CKHA’s Chatham Site from 1 p.m. to approximately 3 p.m.
Staff within the ED 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 and some staff from Wallaceburg Site ED will attend the mock for additional training.
At the time of the mock, staff in all other units of the Chatham Site will conduct tabletop sessions to identify what action staff would take in a Code Orange emergency.
The Code Orange Mock Emergency event will include CKHA staff, physicians and volunteers, as well as, Chatham-Kent Emergency Medical Services, Chatham-Kent Police Service, Chatham-Kent Fire and Emergency Services, Entegrus and community volunteers.
People attending the ED and visitors to the hospital will not be effected by the exercise.
All hospital entrances and departments will be open with services provided as usual.
At CKHA, all staff, physicians and volunteers complete online learning modules to familiarize themselves with the Ontario Hospital Association’s Emergency Codes.
The Facilities and Emergency Planning Council also complete a monthly review of all emergency codes called during that month to identify gaps and review procedures.
Mock emergency events provide staff an opportunity to practice code policies and address any issues that may arise in a mock scenario.
For more information about CKHA please visit, www.ckha.on.ca.
