On Tuesday, April 30, 2013, Floyd Medical Center will be conducting a mass casualty exercise in an effort to continually improve preparedness for the possibility that such an event could occur.

“A scan of the news on any given day reminds us of the need to always be ready for an emergency situation,” said Kenna Baker, R.N., Floyd’s Safety Officer and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator.  “Whether it’s weather related, an industrial accident or a matter of national security, we want to always be prepared to provide safe and timely care to those in our community who have been impacted.”

The drill will be based upon a series of severe weather events, including a tornado, occurring in and around Floyd County, resulting in injured patients being transported to Floyd Medical Center.  In this particular drill, the events and patients only exist on paper, with Floyd professionals participating in roleplay scenarios, an exercise that Baker believes provides an excellent learning opportunity.

“Drills like this help us streamline our processes and also identify opportunities for us to become more efficient and diligent in our response to these emergencies,” Baker said.  ”It’s also a chance for us to prepare for a full regional drill we’ll take part in 2014.  We want to take advantage of every opportunity we have to improve the care we provide.”

The exercise will begin at Floyd at 6:30 am on Tuesday, April 30 and is expected to conclude at 8 am on the same day.