Hospital earns award for emergency preparedness

MUNSTER | Franciscan Physicians Hospital has received one of three Community Safety Awards for its work in emergency preparedness.

The awards were given by the Lake County Local Emergency Planning Committee, which serves as the liaison between industry and the local community and is accountable to the State of Indiana's Emergency Response Commission.

A plaque of recognition, given by the LEPC, is located in the hospital's west lobby.

District 1 Hospital disaster drills took place last September. The full-scale exercise is designed to test the operational capability of multiple response functions, such as resource coordination, mental health, continuity of operations and risk communication.

"We worked hard to ensure that our staff and physicians were prepared for a real life disaster, which was displayed during the scenario played out on Sept. 24," said Lori Postma, RN and medical care branch director at Franciscan Physicians Hospital.

Franciscan Physicians Hospital utilized volunteer participants, staged as patients, to simulate a variety of medical conditions relevant to the specific mocked disaster. The September drill scenario involved the detonation of a dirty bomb in three geographic locations in Northwest Indiana.

"I'm very proud of our team for executing the plan in full detail as they've been trained to do," hospital President Barb Greene said. "I am confident that in the face of a real disaster, their expertise and organization would prove successful in protecting our patients and staff to the fullest of their capabilities."