This week the Stratford Town Hall gymnasium has become a temporary hospital as part of an exercise to offer additional healthcare services in the event of a major public disaster. The facility, known as a field hospital, will be open for public and healthcare staff viewing on Thursday.
The training exercise is allowing healthcare providers the opportunity to set up a mobile 50-bed healthcare site, including supplies and equipment. The exercise provides staff with a sense of how a field hospital will look in the event of a disaster. “While the province has yet to see the need for a field hospital, the training to set up this facility is excellent practice for staff. The exercise helps to build skills and knowledge. Overall, it is just one more component towards being prepared in the event of a major emergency,” says Doug Currie, Minister of Health.
The field hospital actually has 200 beds when in full capacity. It is designed to provide basic care for up to 200 injured patients in an existing building, such as a school or community centre. The field hospital simulates a regular hospital, including items such as beds and blankets, portable X-Ray machine, a generator and a water tank.
The field hospital is one of 165 such facilities positioned throughout the country through the assistance of the National Emergency Stockpile System (NESS). Funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, NESS also provides emergency relief supplies promptly to anywhere in the country when requested.
The hospital is available if the number of casualties exceeds the available treatment resources at the existing healthcare facilities in the province.
“The field hospital will supplement and expand our emergency healthcare capacity in times of disaster. For example, a plane crash may warrant the need for such a facility,” says Teresa Hennebery, Assistant Deputy Minister and Designated Emergency Services Officer for the Department of Health.
The public, healthcare staff and physicians are invited to view the hospital on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Stratford Town Hall Recreational Centre where it will be on display.
BACKGROUNDER
The National Emergency Stockpile System (NESS)
• The Public Health Agency of Canada maintains a $300 million National Emergency Stockpile System (NESS) to provide emergency relief supplies quickly to provinces and territories when requested.
• The system consists of a central depot in Ottawa, as well as eight other warehouses and 1,300 pre-positioned supply centres strategically located across Canada.
• The system has been used to support a number of emergencies both in Canada and internationally. For example, a significant quantity of pharmaceuticals, supplies and equipment were provided as part of the Government of Canada’s response to the South East Asia tsunami crisis. In Canada, parts of the NESS were deployed during 9-11 when many aircrafts were grounded in St. John’s, Nfld.
• The system is funded and held by the Public Health Agency. The Agency manages the system by assessing and refurbishing stockpile units and distributing medical and pharmaceutical supplies at the request of provinces.
• The system includes among other things, 165 “emergency hospitals” or field hospitals, with 200 beds in each. These hospitals are pre-positioned in the provinces and territories across Canada to facilitate effective and timely deployment across the country.
• Certain supplies, such as medications are maintained in Ottawa as many medications need very specific storage and rotation requirements.
• The Public Health Agency provides provinces and territories with a 50-bed training hospital.
• Supplies and equipment in the training hospitals have been packed in reusable containers for use in the training of personnel. They enable groups of people to practice their complete deployment procedures without disrupting the preservation packaging of the pre-positioned field hospitals.
• The provinces and territories partner with the Agency in funding the storage of the pre-positioned hospitals and in the training of provincial staff or service clubs in the deployment of the facility.