Published: April 14, 2009 11:21 pm         

Hospitals put disaster training to work for bus crash

TERRE HAUTE — Wabash Valley emergency responders took part last week in a disaster preparation exercise designed — among other things — to train hospital workers to handle a large influx of injured patients.

On Tuesday morning, two area hospitals put that training to the test after a school bus accident in northern Vigo County left nearly 30 people injured.

“We train for this,” said Lorrie Heber, a spokeswoman for Union Hospital Health Group. In such emergencies, hospitals are not just dealing with a large number of injured people, but also with concerned parents and others, she said.

Shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday, a school bus from Parke County carrying more than 40 people, mostly fourth-graders from Turkey Run Elementary School, left the roadway and traveled through a ditch. The bus, which was taking the children on a field trip to the symphony in Terre Haute, nearly overturned before coming to rest back on the highway, witnesses said. Children and adults were tossed around inside the bus, but none was seriously injured.

In response to the accident, nearby Union Hospital and West Central Community Hospital in Clinton each initiated their “disaster plans,” said Rod Bosley, system director of safety and risk management for Union Hospital Health Group, which owns both health-care facilities.

Security staff were posted at the entrances of the hospitals as the injured began to arrive. The media were given updates via e-mail but were not allowed access to the injured or their families.

“The staff [of both hospitals] handled it very well,” Bosley said. No additional staff had to be called in, he said.

More than 20 children on the bus were uninjured but still were taken to West Central Community Hospital until parents or guardians could pick them up, Heber noted. Those children were given cookies and milk in the hospital’s cafeteria. Around 12:30 p.m. the “all clear” was issued and the disaster plan was called off.

Although Union Hospital and West Central Community Hospital are owned by the same health group, all area hospitals work together to prepare for incidents like this, Bosley said. Last week’s disaster preparation exercise, which focused on earthquake response, included all hospitals in the Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s District 7.

“We have a pretty good working relationship with all of the hospitals in this part of the state,” Bosley said.

Dealing with a large influx of patients and concerned family members is “always kind of stressful” for hospital staff, Bosley said. But on Tuesday he thought everyone handled the situation well. “I was very pleased with the response” at both hospitals, he said.



Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com

     

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