Do you know your hospital’s emergency response plan? When was the last time you practiced it? How would your facility fare in case of a biochemical attack? What would you do if a couple dozen cases of radiation poisoning walked through the door following a terrorist attack or other catastrophe? And, even if you know, do your colleagues?
Many of the presenters and attendees at the Emergency Management Summit have lived and worked through disasters like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the Metrolink Disaster in California, and worse, and they do think about those things. A lot. And I’m glad someone does, because after just a few hours of contemplating the worst, I feel like raiding Costco’s canned goods aisle and barricading myself in the basement.
Do they have wireless Internet in these things?
Among the many excellent sites and sources mentioned at the meeting, the CDC’s emergency preparedness page seems pretty comprehensive for us regular folks whose typical idea of a “crisis” is when the DVR doesn’t record ‘Idol.’ Check it out, and let me know: does your hospital conduct emergency drills? Would you feel confident and competent if disaster struck? Leave your response in the comments section, or e-mail me at d.napoli@elsevier.com.
-Denise Napoli
EGMN: Notes from the Road 
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