Are Ontario’s hospitals prepared for a large-scale disaster that could disrupt a major city and overwhelm the healthcare system? On the morning of February 26, a realistic simulation exercise at Centennial's Morningside Campus will test the ability of healthcare and emergency response workers to deal with a fictional threat to hospital resources.
The emergency scenario is intended to show healthcare and EMS professionals how to manage the effects of a disaster, as well as demonstrate how college students can be utilized to staff clinics for non-urgent patients. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre will be testing their Code Orange and Surge response while other healthcare workers are participating in clinical practice scenarios.
The simulation, co-directed by Dr. Laurie Mazurik of Sunnybrook and Centennial faculty, involves a fire in an apartment block with a nursing home, mental health unit and daycare. Participating volunteers will include physicians, nurses, respiratory technologists, pharmacists and social work staff from a variety of hospitals: Sunnybrook, Scarborough General, Lakeridge Health, Michael Garron Hospital, University Health Network and St. Michael’s.
Morningside Campus will simulate a live hospital, where more than 300 students will role-play and work as non-urgent clinic personnel. Students from Centennial’s paramedic, collaborative BScN nursing (with Toronto Metropolitan University and George Brown College), practical nursing, pharmacy technician, personal support worker, police foundations, pre-service firefighter education and training, developmental services and social service worker programs, along with University of Toronto medicine students, will work alongside healthcare professionals in this realistic simulation.
Community partners such as Toronto Police Division 43 constables and Centennial alumni will be supporting the student learning.
Follow all the disaster action at #CentennialMockD.