Newsroom

Raul Muyalde, R.N., helps register a patient in the Hospital's Emergency Room. The "patient", a student from the Secondary School for Research, was a participant in New York Methodist's Emergency Preparedness Drill, which was conducted to test and evaluate the Hospital's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

More than 35 students from the Secondary School for Research took part in New York Methodist Hospital's (NYM) first Emergency Preparedness Drill of the year. The purpose of the drill, which took place on Thursday, January 15, was to test and evaluate the Hospital's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). At the beginning of the drill, the scenario called for the students to be "exposed" to a mysterious powder and then rushed to New York Methodist's Emergency Room (ER) by their teachers so they could be "checked out." Because the Secondary School for Research is located just two blocks away from NYM, the students were able to conveniently walk over to the ER.

In an Oscar-worthy performance, the students arrived at the Hospital's ER coughing and wheezing, sending the ER's staff into immediate action. The students were isolated and "decontaminated", and being checked for any permanent damage when word arrived that the mysterious powder was harmless-the result of a bad joke perpetrated by one of the students. That ended the drill. Once the drill was over, the students were debriefed and asked to provide their feedback on how well they thought the Hospital's staff responded to the "emergency." In addition, NYM treated the young thespians to lunch.

"The students from the Secondary School for Research did an exceptional job assisting our staff members with the disaster drill," said Lauren Yedvab, senior vice president for New York Methodist Hospital. "We are fortunate to have such bright and articulate 'helpers' in our own backyard."