Near Southwest Preparedness Alliance Healthcare Tabletop Exercise Series
From September 25-28, the Near Southwest Preparedness Alliance (NSPA) hosted a healthcare table top exercise series. The TTX scenarios featured modules pertaining to evacuation, surge and the recovery for facilities based on both evacuation and surge. Over 350 individuals participated from 120 different organizations. These participants included hospitals, long-term care, behavioral health, home care, and hospice, dialysis, public health, patient transportation, physical rehab, surgery centers, federally-qualified health clinics, EMS, and local and state emergency management. This exercise series will also include After-Action Planning and a Functional Exercise in October.
Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport Full-Scale Exercise
On September 8, the Near Southwest Preparedness Alliance (NSPA) participated in the triennial Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport Full Scale Exercise. NSPA facilitated the healthcare interests involved in the exercise as well as participated with RHCC activation that included a response to the mass casualty incident and resulting surge on the local emergency departments. Representatives from six healthcare agencies, six jurisdictional agencies, and seven regional/state agencies are involved in this collaborative exercise with the regional airport authority. Following the exercise, an After-Action Review meeting was facilitated by NSPA on September 26 that allowed the sharing of lessons learned from each organization.
Patient Tracking Functional Exercise
On September 7, NSPA facilitated a Functional Exercise for Patient Tracking in partnership with 211VA, Liberty University, Lynchburg Emergency Management, Centra Lynchburg General Hospital, Centra Virginia Baptist Hospital, Centra Bedford Memorial Hospital, Centra Gretna Medical Center and the Near Southwest RHCC. This exercise featured and tested the use of the VHASS Patient Tracking Module and provided local emergency management the opportunity to observe the system in use during a mass casualty incident.
Virginia Tech Select Biological Agent Decontamination Exercise
On September 19, the Near Southwest Preparedness Alliance (NSPA) participated in a Decontamination Full-Scale Exercise facilitated by VDH Regional Epidemiologist, Paige Bordwine. The exercise was conducted at the Virginia Tech Bio-Research Lab. NSPA deployed regional decontamination assets and provided technical on-site support throughout the exercise. This event was a result of collaboration between VT Emergency Operations, the New River Health District of the Virginia Dept. of Health, the Carilion-New River Valley Medical Center Decontamination Team and LewisGale Regional Health Representatives.