KING COUNTY, WA – In one of the first exercises of its kind in the nation, Public Health - Seattle & King County, the King County Health Care Coalition, the City of Seattle and partners from throughout the region today are demonstrating their ability to mobilize and operate an emergency Health Care Center, also known as an Alternate Care Facility (ACF). The purpose of the emergency Health Care Center is to relieve pressure on the local health care system by adding extra medical capacity during a disaster.
Hosted by the Seattle Center at its Exhibition Hall, the exercise is designed to test how this facility, when combined with adjacent McCaw Hall, will accommodate up to 250 inpatient beds and many more outpatients in an emergency.
"In the midst of hazards such as earthquakes and epidemics, our community's immediate medical needs may overwhelm available medical resources," said Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. "This facility will provide rapid surge capacity to support the delivery of critical health care services."
In a disaster, an emergency Health Care Center could provide a wide range of outpatient and inpatient medical services to people of all ages. Examples include:
- Treating injury or illness requiring immediate care but not an emergency room visit
- Sheltering for patients with home medical devices who must evacuate during disasters
- Oral and intravenous hydration
- Antimicrobial and vaccine administration
- Inpatient monitoring and support
- Palliative care
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Patient examination rooms
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| Beds in emergency Health Care Center |
Surgery and advanced medical procedures, such as repairing serious bone fractures or appendix removal would not be provided at an emergency Health Care Center; patients would need to go to a hospital for those services.
"Our healthcare community must come together in an organized, thoughtful and rehearsed approach in the event of a disaster or pandemic," said Dr. David Grossman, vice-chair of the King County Healthcare Coalition and the medical director for preventive care at Group Health. "The demonstration of the deployment of this facility is yet another step showing just how prepared our community will be."
In addition to the Seattle Center facility, plans are moving forward for two additional emergency Health Care Centers in east and south King County. Together, the three facilities will have the capacity for 750 inpatients, with hundreds more patients receiving outpatient care before being released to their homes.
"Every day, the Seattle Fire Department and Medic One work together with our local health care system to get people the emergency medical care they need," said Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean. "Now, when hospitals are damaged or overwhelmed in a disaster, our paramedics will have an additional, well-equipped and staffed facility where we can bring patients."
Organized as if it was a real event, the facility exercise includes mock patients circulating through screening, assessment, medical and nursing care, and vaccination/dispensing center stations. Areas of operation being tested include communications and security functions; appropriate equipment lay out and hygiene; policies and procedures regarding care; staffing model; and coordination and communication with partner agencies.
Evaluation teams are recording observations from the exercise, participants will discuss their impressions afterward and officials will use the lessons learned to improve emergency medical response systems and planning for future sites.
Participants include 300 staff and volunteers from Public Health – Seattle & King County, King County Health Care Coalition, Seattle Center, Seattle Fire Department, Seattle Police Department, Seattle Office of Emergency Management, King County Office of Emergency Management, Bellevue Fire Department, Washington State Department of Health, Washington State Patrol, Public Health - Seattle & King County Medical Reserve Corps, Carnation Duval Medical Reserve Corps, Vashon Medical Reserve Corps, Snohomish and Pierce County Medical Reserve Corps, and Washington and Oregon Disaster Medical Assistance Teams.
Planning for and supplying this new emergency resource has been a significant part of Public Health's ongoing emergency planning. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Washington State Department of Health, and Public Health – Seattle & King County contributed a combined total of $100,000 to conduct the exercise.
An additional $1.1 million in durable medical items, such as beds, defibrillators, suture kits and trauma supplies have been purchased with contributions from DHS, King County and other sources. The equipment will be available for a wide range of disaster events as a regional cache on an ongoing basis.
Providing effective and innovative health and disease prevention services for over 1.8 million residents and visitors of King County, Public Health – Seattle & King County works for safer and healthier communities for everyone, every day.
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