The Andrew F. Anderson Emergency Center
Enhancing Disaster Preparedness
|
Two dates have changed the way we
think about planning for disasters: September 11, 2005, for
the nation as a whole, and February 20, 2005 (the Station
nightclub fire) for Rhode Islanders in particular.
|
When Rhode Island Hospital's opened the Andrew F. Anderson Emergency Center, it meant dramatic advances in patient care. But it also
signals a leap forward in the hospital's ability to respond
to disasters.
More space, new decontamination equipment and more efficient flow
of patients and vehicles are among the items Peter Ginaitt points
to. Ginaitt is director of emergency preparedness for Rhode Island
Hospital. He notes, for example, that the new emergency center
has a dedicated decontamination room with the latest tools
and the ability to provide high-level, general patient care.
The Andrew F. Anderson Emergency Center is greater than twice the size of the old one—51,000 square feet compared to 21,700. The emergency center provides more personalized care, greater
privacy and the ability of patients to keep loved ones close by.
| Today, hospitals
must be ready at a moment's notice to respond to large-scale
and mass-casualty events. |
A key component of emergency preparedness is keeping staff safe
so that the hospital can continue to function during a disaster.
That means protective gear, good planning and buildings that provide
the most efficient movement of people and material. The federal
and state governments are lending a hand, providing grants to buy
equipment such as decontamination tents, respirators, burn carts
and protective suits.
Looking ahead, Ginaitt says the hospital will purchase more equipment,
conduct more disaster training and spend to "build up our pharmaceutical
cache." A proximity radiation monitor will be installed at
the entrance to the new building, alerting officials that someone
tainted by radiation is about to enter. The building will also have
more "negative pressure" rooms, rooms in which air is
vented and not spread to the rest of the building.
In general, Ginaitt adds, larger treatment rooms with greater visibility
and more space to maneuver could mean a lot in a disaster.
Back
| More
about Rhode Island Hospital
|
