by
Joan Trombetti, Writer | January 25, 2009
Students from the
Secondary School
for Research
More than 35 students from the Secondary School for Research took part in New York Methodist Hospital's (NYM) first Emergency Preparedness Drill of the year.
The purpose of the drill, was to test and evaluate the Hospital's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). At the beginning of the drill, the scenario called for the students to be "exposed" to a mysterious powder and then rushed to New York Methodist's Emergency Room (ER) by their teachers so they could be "checked out." Because the Secondary School for Research is located just two blocks away from NYM, the students were able to conveniently walk over to the ER.
In an Oscar-worthy performance, the students arrived at the Hospital's ER coughing and wheezing, sending the ER's staff into immediate action. The students were isolated and "decontaminated," and being checked for any permanent damage when word arrived that the mysterious powder was harmless-the result of a bad joke perpetrated by one of the students. That ended the drill. Once the drill was over, the students were debriefed and asked to provide their feedback on how well they thought the Hospital's staff responded to the "emergency."
About NYM
New York Methodist Hospital, a voluntary, acute-care teaching facility located in Brooklyn's Park Slope, houses 651 inpatient beds (including bassinets) and provides services to over 34,000 inpatients each year. An additional 350,000 outpatient visits and services are logged annually. The Hospital offers Institutes in the following areas: Advanced and Minimally Invasive Surgery, Asthma and Lung Disease; Cancer Care; Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery; Digestive and Liver Disorders; Diabetes and Other Endocrine Disorders; Vascular Medicine and Surgery; Family Care; Neurosciences; Orthopedic Medicine and Surgery and Women's Health. The Hospital, founded in 1881, has undergone extensive renovation and modernization over the years. New York Methodist is affiliated with the Weill College of Medicine at Cornell University and it is a member of NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System.
