Self Regional Healthcare and Community Partners Announce Full-Scale Emergency Evacuation Exercise
(Greenwood, S.C., Oct. 14, 2015) – Self Regional Healthcare, in conjunction with Greenwood County Emergency Management, Greenwood County EMS and Greenwood Fire Department, announced that an emergency exercise will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015, beginning at 8 a.m. at Self Regional Healthcare. The exercise scenario presents a fire incident in the hospital that results in partial evacuation of the hospital. Volunteers will play the role of evacuated patients, so no actual patients will be affected.
“This practice environment will provide us with the opportunity to determine best practices and guidelines for how to safely and efficiently evacuate our hospital, should the need arise” Jim Pfeiffer, CEO and president of Self Regional Healthcare, said. “We expect to gain invaluable insight that will help our team members and first responders better prepare for a true emergency. Our hope is that an emergency never occurs, but if one does – we want to be ready.”
The purpose of this exercise is to assess interactions between Self Regional Healthcare and local resources during an emergency and to assess Self Regional’s response to an incident that results in partial evacuation of the medical center.
“Drills like this sharpen our skills,” Terry Strange, Greenwood Fire chief, said. “They provide my team with an opportunity to identify and overcome any unique challenges that may arise in responding to an emergency at the medical center and ensures that we are prepared.”
“Participating in a drill of this magnitude showcases the commitment that the hospital staff and first responders have to our community,” George McKinney, Greenwood County emergency management coordinator, said. “We are fortunate to have such dedicated healthcare providers and first responders in our community.”
The evacuation exercise will be the first of its kind conducted at Self Regional Healthcare. The care and treatment of real patients at Self Regional will not be interrupted or affected during the drill.
###
About Self Regional Healthcare:
Self Regional Healthcare is a not-for-profit, regional referral hospital that provides care to residents of Greenwood, Abbeville, Laurens, Saluda, McCormick, Edgefield and Newberry counties. Services include prevention and wellness, acute care and tertiary care services including cancer care, neurosurgery, heart and vascular surgery, NICU, orthopedics and genetics. Self Medical Group is its employed physician affiliate network of 22 practices and more than 93 physicians.
