On Tuesday, October 28, local hospitals came together to hold a medical surge drill. The scenario was a tornado that hit town, overwhelming the emergency rooms of our local hospitals. The drill was held in the Hearnes Center Fieldhouse and included setting up the room as it might be in a real event. Participants were registered using the Elliott badging system - the same system that would be used to identify and track volunteers following a real emergency.
In the afternoon, participants, made up largely of area nursing students, served as "pretend" patients while others were part of the labor pool.
Volunteers with the Columbia/Boone County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) also helped with the drill. MRC volunteers would be part of the response and would assist local hospitals as needed. One of the best ways that you could assist following a disaster is to affiliate now with a local group, like the MRC, the American Red Cross or the fire department's CERT team.
To learn more about getting involved with the MRC, contact Betsy Smith at the Columbia/Boone County Health Department - 874-7285 or ECS@GoColumbiaMO.com.
