CARSON CITY, MI – A mass casualty exercise was recently held at Sparrow Carson Hospital, simulating a tornado striking the west side of the hospital.

The drill involved community partners such as the Carson City Police and Fire Departments, Montcalm County Emergency Response, and students from Carson City-Crystal High School. Montcalm County EMS disaster response trailers were brought on-site just as they would have in a true disaster.

Photo caption: Sparrow Carson Hospital Caregivers and other local emergency workers tend to “victims” during a mass casualty drill recently held at the hospital.

The community partners of Sparrow Carson Hospital greatly enhance hospital Caregivers’ ability to provide quality, compassionate care, no matter the situation.

Patient care continued throughout the drill although many hospital clinical and non-clinical Caregivers participated.

“A training exercise this large that included simulating our facility being damaged allows us to do several things. It allows us to identify areas of care where we excel and, more importantly, find our weaknesses so that we can improve those areas before that type of care is needed,” said Sparrow Carson Hospital Safety Officer Monte Malek, RN.

Drills such as these put into action the preparedness plans that are on paper to ensure Sparrow Carson Hospital is ready in case a true disaster occurs.

“We already know that a great group of people work at Sparrow Carson Hospital, but this exercise allows us to showcase the great care our rural facility can provide the community 24 hours a day,” Malek said.

The exercise included obstacles such as damage to the building, setting up a new location for the Emergency Department to accept Patients, and receiving a massive influx of Patients, all while still providing the best possible care possible.

Choose Wisely. Choose Sparrow.

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Sparrow, a member of the prestigious Mayo Clinic Care Network, is mid-Michigan’s premier healthcare organization that includes hospitals in Lansing, St. Johns, Ionia and Carson City as well as Physicians Health Plan, Sparrow Physicians Health Network, the Sparrow Medical Group and the Michigan Athletic Club. Sparrow is affiliated with Michigan State University’s three human health colleges. Through these partnerships and the dedication of our 10,000 Caregivers, Sparrow pursues a vision to be nationally recognized as a leader in quality and Patient experience. For more information, visit Sparrow.org.