Healthcare providers at the Niagara Health System (NHS) have to be ready to treat anyone who comes through the doors of the Emergency Departments and Urgent Care Centres, including patients who have been contaminated in chemical spills or other hazardous incidents.
Members of the media are invited to observe NHS doctors and nurses from across our sites during their Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) training which tests the effectiveness of the hospital system’s emergency plans in hazardous materials incidents.
Special training scenarios are planned for Friday, October 14, 2011, from 9 to 10 a.m. and 12:45 to 1:45 p.m., in the former ambulance bay area at the back of the Ontario Street Site in St. Catharines. Volunteers will act as patients in mock emergencies designed to test the healthcare providers’ response. The doctors, nurses and other members of the healthcare team will not be given any details in advance about the scenarios so they are as realistic as possible.
Media representatives will have an opportunity to learn what happens when patients arrive at the hospital as the result of a CBRN emergency, how healthcare providers manage potentially contaminated patients, and how the team works together to respond in a CBRN emergency.
Parking is available in the Visitors’ Lot off Adams Street.
These training sessions are provided by NHS CBRN specialist Robert McAlpine. The training is in addition to the training NHS participates in as a member of the Niagara Region CBRN team, which is made up of approximately 100 specially trained staff from the Niagara Regional Police Service, Niagara Emergency Medical Services, Niagara Region’s Public Health Department, the 12 local Niagara Fire Departments, and the NHS.
