Northern Strike Exercise: Medical Preparedness Briefing

Live-fire, boots on the ground, planes dropping bombs, and artillery firing. All of this and more took place during the annual Northern Strike Exercise at Camp Grayling. Prior to the live exercise, on August 6th 2016, the National Guard, US Marines, Region 7 Healthcare Coalition, and Region 7 hospitals and emergency crews held a Medical Preparedness Briefing to collaborate on a response plan to the simulated mass casualty event.

Healthcare often overlaps with other organizations during any type of large scale event and it is vital to success for everyone involved to come together and communicate. Without the opportunity to collaborate, possible gaps may go unnoticed in any seemingly airtight plan. Bringing in representation from Hospitals, EMS, Fire, Emergency Management and various military branches was key in undertaking an event of this magnitude in Northern Michigan. With the help of Region 7 partners, the Coalition was able to bring valuable insight and resources to the briefing. Everyone in the Coalition plays a role and it was made obvious during the table top how well our partners are able to provide information to us to relay to everyone else at the table! The involvement of each partner within the Healthcare Coalition is invaluable and key to information sharing in the preparedness planning process and was a true testament to the strong network that is Region 7 during this table top exercise and briefing.

During the meeting attendees discussed the annual Northern Strike exercise and all the plans for preparation that were needed to be in place to ensure the safety of over 2,500 soldiers. Regional and local organizations were behind the scenes planning for casualty transport, tracking, and treatment. Multi-level coordination between US military, Region 7 Healthcare Coalition, and local EMS took place.

During the collaboration Dr. Jackson mentioned it was great that all branches of the military and local EMS and Healthcare were at the same table and were able to share plans on preparing for any eventuality.

This was just one of many meetings Region 7 attended for the mass casualty event. A good deal of planning takes place prior to these events to ensure the safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of responders and medical personnel from all organizations. Responders and medical personnel may have the opportunity to practice their response techniques and plans on volunteer victims during the event.

With meetings, training, and exercises such as the Northern Strike Exercise, medical personnel and responders are better equipped to fulfill any gaps within the Medical Surge capability. With the knowledge and skills they gain from these exercises they can more effectively treat the needs of patients and other personnel when they are face with a real world event.

To learn more about regional healthcare coalitions and their role in healthcare emergency preparedness, please visit the following websites:
MDHHS- Healthcare Preparedness Planning
http://www.phe.gov/preparedness/planning/hpp/Pages/default.aspx
CDC Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response- Healthcare Preparedness Activity
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