New York Medical College’s Center for Disaster Medicine Provides Training to White Plains Hospital to Prepare for Disaster Situations
New York Medical College’s Center for Disaster Medicine Program Designed to Provide Training in Triage and Other Emergency Medicine Skills
Jennifer Riekert, M.B.A.
Vice President of Communications and Strategic Initiatives
New York Medical College
(914) 594-4552
jennifer_riekert@nymc.edu
Valhalla, New York – On January 16, emergency department clinicians and other physicians at White Plains Hospital participated in an eight-hour training course taught by New York Medical College’s (NYMC) Center for Disaster Medicine to build upon their already growing commitment for disaster preparedness. The course was created to refresh the knowledge of medical professionals within the hospital who are responsible for the initial triage of victims of a disaster, such as a mass causality situation. The course focuses on prioritizing patient care based on the hospital’s capacity for surgical intervention, critical care admission or stabilization in the emergency department.
The Center for Disaster Medicine has a history of collaborating with medical facilities throughout New York State to provide disaster training to first responders and healthcare professionals. A member of the Montefiore Health System, White Plains Hospital has been a leader in disaster preparedness across Westchester and the Hudson Valley. The Hospital regularly partners with local and regional emergency personnel on community disaster response drills and recently organized a disaster training seminar for the entire Montefiore Health System, using many of the same techniques taught by NYMC’s Center for Disaster Medicine.
“New York Medical College provides advanced response training for our hospitals, law enforcement agencies, first response units and other key partners. The best protection for our community, in any kind of emergency, lies in well-coordinated actions by a highly competent response force,” said New York State Senator Peter Harckham.
“Over the past few years we have seen mass shootings and other acts of violence in the United States. When these tragic events occur, many hospitals greatly benefit from this kind of advanced training to learn to handle the unique aspects of a large influx of patients who might require vastly different procedures in a short amount of time,” said David S. Markenson, M.D., M.B.A., director and medical director of the Center for Disaster Medicine. “This education combined with simulation help emergency room professionals apply their expertise with the new approaches taught to quickly and strategically assess disaster medicine situations and provide quality care to patients in the most need.”
“At White Plains Hospital, we have the busiest emergency department in Westchester County, treating over 64,000 patients a year,” said Ed Tangredi, Director of Emergency Management at White Plains Hospital. “It is essential that we constantly assess our skills and make sure everyone on our team is prepared should a disaster or public health emergency occur. Programs like the one taught at New York Medical College are so important to improving our readiness to care for a sudden influx of critical patients.”
About New York Medical College
Founded in 1860, New York Medical College (NYMC) is one of the oldest and largest health sciences colleges in the country with nearly 1,500 students and 330 residents and clinical fellows, more than 2,600 faculty members and 23,500 living alumni. The College, which joined the Touro College and University System in 2011, is located in Westchester County, New York, and offers degrees from the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, the School of Health Sciences and Practice, the Touro College of Dental Medicine at NYMC and the Touro College School of Health Sciences’ nursing program at NYMC. NYMC provides a wide variety of clinical training opportunities for students, residents, and practitioners.