A dangerous chemical, an overwhelming number of patients, and a power outage complicating the whole situation.
No, you didn’t miss a massive news story — this was the scenario St. Elizabeth Hospital constructed to test its emergency preparedness.
It’s a bi-annual requirement for CHI Franciscan hospitals to test themselves in various disaster or emergency situations, said Kyle Jacobson, an emergency management specialist with the health care system and an Enumclaw City Councilman.
“This one was based on an accidental chemical release. A plausible drill of an accidental chemical drill to test our ability to decontaminate patients prior to their reception of treatment or as a process of their treatment,” Jacobson said. “The last time this drill was done here was several years ago, so it was time for us to make sure we still had the capabilities we thought we did.”