Saint Vincents’ replay offers lessons learned
On Sept. 11, 2001, Saint Vincents hospital in Manhattan, a Level 1 trauma center located two miles from the World Trade Center, found itself at the center of an unthinkable tragedy. A Code Three was called after two hijacked airliners slammed into the twin towers, ultimately destroying both buildings, as well as other buildings in the surrounding area.
This tragedy put Saint Vincents’ staff and its disaster plan to the ultimate test. Physicians and nurses scrambled to treat the flood of injured that were brought in. Many of the injured were rescue workers, who were treated, released, and then returned to the World Trade Center site.
On Nov. 14, American Health Consultants offered Responding to the Unimaginable: How Saint Vincents Hospital Coped With the World Trade Center Attack, a 100-minute-long audio conference presented by four clinicians from Saint Vincents who were there as the crisis unfolded. They discussed in depth how they coped, where their disaster plan worked, where it didn’t, and the lessons they learned.
Representatives from the emergency department (ED), case management, and supportive care services shared unique insights from their different perspectives. ED physicians and nurses encountered documentation nightmares when cases were not properly recorded. Hear how staff were cut off as communications went down and how the hospital successfully used its supply of two-way radios to bridge the communications gap.
Case managers scrambled to discharge patients in order to free up beds for the anticipated onslaught of injured victims. Learn how supportive care stepped in to treat the emotional scars for the injured, the community, and hospital employees.
If you missed out on Nov. 14, the complete audio conference will be available for replay at your convenience on Wednesday, Feb. 20, and Thursday, Feb. 21. The cost is $249 per facility, which includes 2 nursing contact hours or 1.5 AMA Category 1 CME credits for every participant. Call our customer service department at (800) 688-2421 to receive the dial-in number, the special access code, and directions to download handouts and continuing education materials. Don’t miss out on learning lessons from valuable first-hand experience. Use Saint Vincents’ experience to re-evaluate your current disaster plan so that you’re ready if the unimaginable happens in your community.
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