Natividad Medical Center on Emergency Response Plan

The Central Coast doesn’t want to even imagine a tragedy similar to the mass shooting in Las Vegas, or the potential for it, to happen locally but first responders say they have to be prepared.

It’s a sad reality our hospitals have to think about but they do and spend a lot of time and resources preparing. Natividad Medical Center in Salinas weclomed KION’s cameras in to show how prepared they are.

“We’re prepared to handle a surge of patients in the event that we were to have a surge of patients,” said Andrea Rosenberg, assistant administrator of operations and support services at Natividad Medical Center.

By law, the hospital is required to have two annual exercises to get staff prepared for a disaster. One of their main focuses has been a program called 15 to 50.

“[It means] being able to be ready in 15 minutes to receive 50 patients,” Rosenberg said, “As soon as we receive word that we’re possibly going to be receiving patients we can go ahead and get set up.”

Though it’s a small room, the hospitals command center is where key decisions have to be made, sometimes, in the middle of a disaster.

“We try to, every hour or so, regroup. See where we are and see if we have to improve our plan or if our plan that we have in place is meeting the needs of the situation we have, ” said Jeffrey Cleek, director of engineering and safety.

Though Natividad Medical Center is the only level two trauma center in Monterey County, they collaborate with other Central Coast hospitals who also have plans in place.

Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula issued this statement:

“Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula consistently drills for emergencies that may hit our area, including mass casualty events. Our training allows us to be ready to triage and treat 50 patients in 15 minutes. The most recent drill was conducted on August 23 in partnership with Presidio of Monterey, Monterey County Office of Emergency Services, Natividad Medical Center, and many other local agencies, and included 81 participants at Community Hospital with many more from around the region. At least one more drill is expected in 2017.”

A spokesperson with Santa Cruz County’s Dignity Health Dominican Hospital also sent KION a statement on their response plan.

“As the most comprehensive hospital in Santa Cruz County, Dignity Health Dominican Hospital has a robust disaster response plan in place. We also provide extensive training for our Emergency Department staff, participate in regular county-wide emergency drills, and strive to partner with all available resources, including trauma centers in surrounding counties, to meet the needs of our community.”

Still Natividad says that though they’re ready for an emergency, there’s always work to be done.

“We’re always learning, there’s always new things that are coming about and we’re always going to strive to be the best,” Rosenberg said.

Natividad says mental health for their staff is also a priority and works with a crisis team to give support to workers after traumatic situations.