Emergency Management Specialists Joshua Marshall (left) and Simon Bridgland host an emergency preparedness information booth at the Marotta Family Hospital in St. Catharines.
Emergency preparedness is being celebrated at Niagara Health this week.
Public Safety Canada’s annual national Emergency Preparedness recognition week is dedicated to promoting community safety and emergency readiness to Niagara Health staff, physicians, volunteers, patients and visitors.
Niagara Health’s Emergency Management team will have booths at all five sites until Friday to host a series of engaging activities and trivia aimed at educating staff, patients and visitors with our emergency preparedness protocols.
“Our goal is to equip staff with the knowledge and resources to respond to emergencies effectively,” says Madelyn Law, Director of Quality, Patient Safety and Risk at Niagara Health. “In addition to recognizing Emergency Preparedness Week, our team work year-round to conduct emergency drills with staff for code readiness and preparation. Our goal is to support patient and staff safety and to follow our business continuity plan to ensure quality patient care in the face of any disruptions.”
This recognition week comes on the heels of the recent solar eclipse on April 8, which saw hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Niagara region. To prepare for the anticipated mass influx of visitors travelling to Niagara Falls over a three-day period, Niagara Health began planning and co-ordinating with Niagara Region, Niagara Regional Police Services and Niagara Emergency Medical Services in June 2022.
Niagara Health took a number of steps to ensure minimal disruption to services and to ensure public safety, including moving elective appointments to the day before or after the solar eclipse. Surgical Services also revised processes to redirect selected priority surgical cases to the St. Catharines hospital to avoid commute delays in the Welland and Niagara Falls area. A process was also established to ensure regional surgeons were able to travel between sites for emergency surgeries, if necessary. Throughout the day, Niagara Health maintained close communication with regional and provincial partners.
“I am incredibly proud of staff and leadership’s efforts to mitigate risk and be prepared for potential emergencies. Niagara Health is a leader in safe and quality care and Emergency Preparedness Week gives us the opportunity to reflect and showcase our code preparation and emergency readiness messaging,” Law says.
The Emergency Management team will host an information booth in the Fort Erie Site lobby on Thursday, May 9 and in the Welland Hospital lobby on May 10 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
