Advocate Good Shepherd prepares for disaster
Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital will host its annual Pediatric Disaster Preparedness Exercise on Saturday, August 4, 2012 from 9 until 11 am at the hospital. Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital is one of the only hospitals in the area to conduct a pediatric disaster drill using staff members' children to help make the experience as realistic as possible for the emergency care givers conducting the exercise.
The event is conducted in a fun, kid-friendly atmosphere which also makes it fun for the children involved. The staff is very respectful of each child's needs and all exercises are optional. The exercise not only prepares staff for a pediatric disaster, but helps staff realize what they need to teach their kids in case of an emergency.
The drill is separated into three considerations in case of an emergency including: decontamination, identification and reunifying. During the decontamination process the children are brought to the “disaster trailer” to mock a real emergency. Instead of disinfecting a chemical, each child picks their favorite color of glitter to clean off. The staff members learn how quick and efficient they would need to be in case of a real emergency. In the identification process, children are brought into the emergency department and asked questions about their parent's real names, phone numbers and other information to help incase of a real emergency. In the reunifying process, children are brought to the pediatric safe area, while the staff makes sure to get the right child to the right parent using pictures/tracking forms.
“It's an evolving process. Every year we have made changes that we would not have known about if this exercise did not exist,” says Leslie Flament, Pediatric Quality Coordinator at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital. “Children have their own physiological needs. Some children could be more afraid than others. You always need to be prepared and we learn something new every year.”
The staff has given speeches and shared their information with the region and state agencies to help improve pediatric disaster preparedness.
About Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
Advocate Good Shepherd in Barrington, Illinois is a 169-bed acute care hospital with more than 700 physicians representing 50 medical specialties. It is part of Advocate Health Care, named one of the Top Ten hospital systems in the U.S. by Thomson-Reuters. Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital is ranked highest in Illinois for quality and patient safety according to Blue Cross Blue Shield's 2011 Blue Star Report™. Advocate is a faith-based organization that exists to serve its communities. In 2010, Advocate provided more than $474,000,000 in charity care and services to its communities. For more about Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital: www.advocatehealth.com/goodshep