Reference & Education
When active shooters invade safe spaces, having a plan matters
Author: Laura Kwinn Wolf, Ph.D. Chief, Critical Infrastructure Protection Branch
Published Date: 6/14/2016 12:21:00 PM
Category: Hospital Preparedness; Public Health Preparedness; Response & Recovery;
Planning considerations for health care settingsThis week, we saw the deadliest mass shooting in the United States. When many people in the community talk about Pulse, the gay night club that was the scene of the attack, they say the same thing: “this was a safe place.”
The same can be said for hospitals: we think of them as safe places. Yet according to a study in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, there were 154 hospital-related shootings from 2000-2011.
The statistic is a tragic reminder of the need to be ready at all times.
At this time, there are no specific, credible threats to the U.S., including to the health care system. But this is a good time to think about ways that your hospital or health care facility can plan to protect patients and staff if an active shooter threatened your facility.
What would that response look like in your hospital? Your neonatal ICU? Your emergency department? Your infectious disease quarantine areas? How can you plan for a response that takes into account the special challenges throughout your hospital? And how can you make sure your staff knows what to do and is ready to act when seconds count?
Federal agencies and private sector partners have collaborated on planning guides to help you work through many of these issues.
Click here for the full article.
Published Date: 6/14/2016 12:21:00 PM
Category: Hospital Preparedness; Public Health Preparedness; Response & Recovery;
Planning considerations for health care settingsThis week, we saw the deadliest mass shooting in the United States. When many people in the community talk about Pulse, the gay night club that was the scene of the attack, they say the same thing: “this was a safe place.”
The same can be said for hospitals: we think of them as safe places. Yet according to a study in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, there were 154 hospital-related shootings from 2000-2011.
The statistic is a tragic reminder of the need to be ready at all times.
At this time, there are no specific, credible threats to the U.S., including to the health care system. But this is a good time to think about ways that your hospital or health care facility can plan to protect patients and staff if an active shooter threatened your facility.
What would that response look like in your hospital? Your neonatal ICU? Your emergency department? Your infectious disease quarantine areas? How can you plan for a response that takes into account the special challenges throughout your hospital? And how can you make sure your staff knows what to do and is ready to act when seconds count?
Federal agencies and private sector partners have collaborated on planning guides to help you work through many of these issues.
Click here for the full article.
The San Bernardino, California, Terror Attack: Two Emergency Departments' Response
C. Lee et al., The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2016
This article discusses the response to the San Bernardino, California terror attack during which 14 Americans were killed and 22 were injured. Most of the severely injured victims were transported to either Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) or Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC). These two hospitals operate two designated trauma centers in the region and played crucial roles during the massive response that followed this attack. This article provides an account of how these two teaching hospitals prepared for and coordinated the medical care of these victims. It is the hope of the authors that this article will foster discussion and lead to improvements in management of future mass-casualty incidents.
Learn More>>
This article discusses the response to the San Bernardino, California terror attack during which 14 Americans were killed and 22 were injured. Most of the severely injured victims were transported to either Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) or Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC). These two hospitals operate two designated trauma centers in the region and played crucial roles during the massive response that followed this attack. This article provides an account of how these two teaching hospitals prepared for and coordinated the medical care of these victims. It is the hope of the authors that this article will foster discussion and lead to improvements in management of future mass-casualty incidents.
Learn More>>
**NEW** FBI "Signs of Violence" Poster
| Click here if document below is not working. dhs_pathway_to_violence_final.pdf |
