10/10/2017

The Group That Helps Hospitals Respond to Mass Shootings

It wants to get bystanders involved, as well

The American Trauma Society has helped hospital staff respond to incidents like the recent Las Vegas attack. It wants to get bystanders involved as well.

The mass shooting on Oct. 1 in Las Vegas that killed 58 people and injured close to 500 has put a spotlight on the role of first responders, including the staffs at hospitals and trauma centers. Las Vegas, like other American cities, has a plan in place to not only address which facilities will handle which trauma cases but also how they will coordinate during large-scale incidents. Complicating the job is the fact that the definition of “large scale” has expanded in recent years, says Ian Weston, executive director of the American Trauma Society (ATS).

“Years ago, in the pre-9/11 world, hospitals were preparing for an influx of maybe a dozen patients at time, or two dozen patients at a time,” he said. “And it was what the hospitals would treat off the street—a bus crash or a car crash. Little did they prepare for active-shooter scenarios, or cases where somebody would just go in and shoot up a mall or movie theater. Hospitals have had to adapt tremendously to prepare themselves to treat large numbers of patients with penetrative trauma, with stab wounds, complex injuries that require a great deal of attention.”

Please click here to read the complete article from Associations Now.