EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

August 8, 2007

Nicollet County Public Health and St. Peter Community Hospital will be conducting a full scale exercise on Wednesday, August 15, 2007, to practice emergency preparedness procedures and activities. The purpose of the exercise is to determine how citizens will be best served by public health and safety officials, hospitals, and medical clinics should a health event or disaster occur which would necessitate mass dispensing of drugs or vaccine or treatment at a medical facility.

The exercise will allow multiple agencies to practice triaging patients and setting up a mass dispensing site for vaccine or medication distribution for the citizens of Nicollet County. The primary location for the exercise will be the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College. Over 200 volunteers will be reporting to Gustavus on the morning of August 15, where they will be assessed, and given “medications” and information. Patients who are identified as being symptomatic of a disease will be directed to the Community Hospital for further care.

Upon arrival at the hospital, the volunteer patients will be directed to the appropriate location for further assessment and treatment by hospital personnel. Traffic will be rerouted around the hospital, and each car will be stopped by hospital security personnel at various check points to assure patients and nonpatients get to the correct location.

The exercise will be concluding at 10:30 a.m. The hospital will be conducting regular operations during the exercise.

 

The specific goals of the St. Peter Community Hospital during this drill are:

Participating agencies include Nicollet County Offices of Public Health, Social Services, Sheriff, Emergency Management and Administration; Gustavus Adolphus College; City of St. Peter; St. Peter Community Hospital; St. Peter Police Department; Immanuel St. Joseph's Hospital/St. Peter Clinic; Daniels Clinic; American Red Cross; and North Mankato Police Department.