Northwell Health Representatives Advise on Hospital Hazard Planning

Huntington Hospital Vice President of Operations Randy Howard and Northwell Health Vice President of Corporate Security James Romagnoli addressed a crowd of military personnel and first responders as part of the Mass Casualty Response Forum at the Department of Homeland Security’s facility on Plum Island.

Advance planning and practice are the keys to good emergency management. Mr. Romagnoli noted during his presentation that all Northwell Health hospitals have emergency plans and procedures for mass casualty incidents, rapid discharges, surges in patients, transportation transfers and staffing.

“This was a great opportunity for us at Northwell Health to share our strategies with our healthcare colleagues and law enforcement partners to begin to structure a true regional response to mass casualty incidents,” Mr. Romagnoli said.

Mr. Howard outlined the procedures that staff at Huntington Hospital used during Hurricane Irene, Superstorm Sandy and other severe weather events. The hospital’s emergency plan includes developing and testing warning systems, response procedures and emergency action plans while assessing after incident reports to work on any performance improvements or changes.

In addition to first responders, the Plum Island Mass Casualty Response Forum on September 23 brought together law enforcement, health, science, IT and government officials from New York and Connecticut.