Harris, NY – Catskill Regional Medical Center (CRMC), in conjunction with the Sullivan County Office of Emergency Management, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department and the Regional Hudson Valley Hospital Mutual Aid Coordinating Entity conducted a full-scale emergency management exercise on May 21.

Titled, “The Plane Crash,” the exercise simulated a plane crash in Sullivan County to help plan how CRMC and local agencies would react in such a situation. Community members volunteered to act as ‘victims’ during the exercise.

The main objectives of the exercise were to test the emergency response of CRMC staff and personnel in the event of a major disaster, coordination for local planning, preparedness and response activities to test the mutual response and collaboration with outside agencies, and the integration of plans and activities of participating healthcare systems into jurisdictional response plans.

At the conclusion of the exercise, evaluators and participants reviewed ways to improve the emergency response process. Steve Ruwoldt, CEO of CRMC said, “This was an excellent exercise and I’m proud of everyone’s efforts. The staff at CRMC is dedicated to ongoing disaster preparedness training. We are committed to providing the highest level of response and patient care for our community.”

(Moshe Altusky – YWN)