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Operation Escape

Testing Sacramento region's ability to respond to mass patient distribution emergency

Department of Health and Human Services
Tracy Bennett
Acting Director

11/15/2012 10:00 PM

Media Contact:

Laura McCasland    mccaslandla@saccounty.gov    (916) 875-2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sacramento, CA., - Today a host of partners and stakeholders joined forces to test and evaluate the region’s ability to respond in a disaster that required the relocation of patients in hospitals to alternate care sites.  Sacramento area hospitals and medical facilities were part of a statewide mass casualty plan to ensure that in the event of a disaster, patients needing health care could be transported away from affected areas. 

The scenario portrayed a simulated earthquake in the Bay Area, with patients being transported via C-130 to Mather Airport for relocation to area hospitals.  Approximately 100 patients were loaded onto the C-130, taxied across the tarmac to waiting medical teams, followed through the national and regional patient tracking systems, and then loaded into ambulances for transport to hospitals. 

On completion of the exercise, capabilities identified by the Homeland Security Exercise & Evaluation Program (HSEEP) were measured and evaluated.  These capabilities included: planning, communications, medical surge, critical resources logistics and distribution.  The purpose of the exercise was to increase the community’s capability to respond to emergency incidents. 

Dozens of agencies successfully collaborated and worked through the challenges commonly faced in such disasters.

Participants included multiple agencies and levels of government (see attached for complete list). 

Participating Organizations:

Organization /  Level Of Play
2-1-1 Sacramento / Public information
Alpha One Ambulance Company / Patient Transport-ambulance
American Medical Response / Patient transport-ambulance
American Red Cross / Family Assistance Center
Bloodsource / Radio-phone messaging only
Bruceville Terrace / Patient receipt-paper-electronic
CalEMA / Communications/exercise support
California Department of Public Health / Event monitoring
California Air National Guard / Helicopter-training
Cal Fire / Incident Management
CalSTAR /  Helicopter-training
Capitol Health Network / Clinic Emergency Operations
City of Sacramento – Fire / Incident Management
Crestwood Manor Electronic / Patient transfer-bed polling
David Grant Medical Center / NDMS support
DMAT CA-11 / Patient care
El Dorado County Public Health / Alternate Care Site-cache, staff
Eskaton Care Center Fair Oaks / Patient receipt-electronic-paper
Eskaton Care Center Greenhaven / Patient receipt-electronic-paper
First Covenant Church, Rancho Cordova / Alternate Care Site location
First Responder / Patient transport
Folsom Fire / Incident Management
Georgia National Guard / Patient transport-aircraft
Hands-on-Sacramento / Volunteer recruitment
Heritage Oaks / Electronic patient transfer/bed polling
Hiram Johnson High School / Video production
Kaiser Permanente Morse / Patient receipt (staging their own actors)
Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento / Patient receipt
Medical Reserve Corps / Alternate Care Site-volunteers
Medic Ambulance / Patient transport-ambulance
Mercy General Hospital / Patient receipt
Mercy Hospital Folsom / Patient receipt
Mercy San Juan Hospital / Patient receipt
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento / Patient receipt
Paratransit / Patient transport-volunteer support
Protransport-1 / Patient transport-ambulance
Rancho Cordova Adult Day Care / Volunteer transport
RDMHS Region 4 / Communications/Coordination
Reach Air / Helicopter-training
Regional Transportation / Volunteer transport
Sac Metro Fire / Patient transport-EMT support
Sacramento County Airports / Exercise staging area
Sacramento County DHHS / Coordination-Public Information
Sacramento County Mental Health / Electronic patient transfer-bed polling
Sacramento County LEMSA / Patient transport coordination
Sacramento County OCIT / Communications
Sacramento County Public Health / Alternate Care Site-coordination-staffing
Sacramento OES / Communications-Coordination
Sacramento County Safety Office / Patient Reception Area
Sacramento County Sheriffs / Helicopter-security
Sacramento Regional Office of Homeland Security / Exercise support
Shriner’s Hospital for Children Northern California / Internal response with UCD MC-not receiving patients
Sierra Vista Hospital / Patient receipt-electronic-paper
Sutter Medical Center Sacramento / Patient receipt
Travis AFB (FCC) / Patient distribution
UC Davis Medical Center / Patient receipt
United Cerebral Palsy / Volunteer transport
VA Medical Center Sacramento / Volunteers-patient receipt/patient triage
Woodland Memorial Hospital / Patient receipt
Yolo County Health Department / Communications/coordination