A large scale drill set to test the region’s preparedness for a mass casualty disaster is being planned for mid-September.
The Tri-County Full Scale Emergency Preparedness drill will be a community-wide event that will take place at Marion General Hospital and other locations on Sept. 21.
“We’re doing a full scale drill locally to include Marion, Jefferson Davis and Walthall counties,” Laura Miley, director of nursing at Marion General Hospital said. “It could simulate a tornado or other event that would include area hospitals, first responders, law enforcement and volunteers.”
A meeting was held Wednesday and officials from the three counties as well as Marion General Hospital and Forrest General Hospital. Law enforcement, firefighters, supervisors and even Columbia Mayor Justin McKenzie and Marion County Coroner Norma Williamson were in attendance.
“We want to educate the community and also seek volunteers,” Miley said. “We need volunteers to help with the drill and be patients. We may need 70 to 75 people on Sept. 21. We’d love to see church groups or school groups get involved. We need people of all ages.”
To volunteer, Miley said interested parties can contact Connie Stampley at Marion General Hospital at (601) 740-2112.
“We’re trying to get all of the counties to participate and make it a multi-facility, multi-jurisdictional exercise,” Alania Cedillo, interim administrator at MGH, said. “It is a requirement for the conditions of participation with CMS, the group that accredits the hospital.”
CMS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is a part of the Department of Health and Human Services.
“We have to be prepared to meet their requirements,” Cedillo said. “This is the first community-wide full scale drill. It is now a requirement annually.”
Each entity will document its activities on a critique form and is also responsible for evaluation and improvements for identified opportunities. The drill will include more than a dozen agencies in the three counties as well as several facilities.
Several planning sessions are set between now and the event on Sept. 21. On Sept. 22, a debriefing and evaluation will be held.
“We hope to improve on it each year,” Cedillo concluded.
