“Stop the Bleed” Mass Casualty Exercise Scheduled at Beebe Healthcare on September 26

In efforts to increase awareness of the “Stop the Bleed” national campaign and prepare team members and partners on how to better respond in the event of an unfortunate real-life emergency, Beebe Healthcare’s Emergency Management Department, Trauma Department and Emergency Department will conduct a mass casualty exercise with several partner emergency services agencies on September 26 from 3-5 p.m.

Launched in October of 2015 by the White House, “Stop the Bleed” is a national awareness campaign and a call to action. “Stop the Bleed” is intended to cultivate grassroots efforts that encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives. For more information, visit Stop the Bleed.

The September 26th Drill Scenario plays out as follows: An accidental gas explosion at Beebe Healthcare’s Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing occurred, resulting in injuries to the students and faculty (not a terrorism incident). Injuries result in minor injuries to major injuries including amputations and severe lacerations with large loss of blood.

The goals and objective of this exercise are:
• Promote “Stop the Bleed” campaign and teach as many people the day of the exercise about the campaign and show everyone who comes to use the techniques for stopping bleeding and applying a tourniquet.
• Familiarize the ED staff with blast injuries and injuries that would require tourniquet application for the trauma patients.
• Teaching to all hospital staff will be ongoing for two weeks around the exercise about “Stop the Bleed”.
• Partner with outside agencies on the “Stop the Bleed” campaign and let the event become a teachable experience for all the Beebe staff who want to learn about this.
• Evaluate the Command Center role in an onsite event: divert of Emergency Department (artificial), communication with outside agencies using a Beebe representative; victim services and support for the staff.

“These drills educate the public about what can be done to potentially save lives before medical help arrives. The knowledge of these techniques also empowers the remote areas or in wilderness to save lives,” said Dr. Tatineni, Beebe Healthcare’s Trauma Director.

The other organizations participating in the drill include: Sussex County Paramedics, Cape Henlopen JROTC cadets, and Lewes Fire & EMS.

The exercise will take place on the grounds of Beebe Healthcare, specifically near the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing located behind the hospital.

Beebe Healthcare is a not-for-profit community healthcare system with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health for the people residing, working, or visiting in the communities we serve. It offers services throughout Southern Delaware for residents and visitors, including a 210-licensed-bed hospital, a cancer treatment center, home care services, and outpatient facilities providing walk-in care, lab, imaging, and physical rehabilitation services. For more information, please visit us online at Beebe Healthcare.