Texas Health Kaufman

Putting the Disaster Plan Into Action When an early morning school bus accident sent 35 children to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Kaufman, Emergency Department staff were able to pull together and put their disaster plan in action — quickly and efficiently treating and releasing all the children within three hours. A fter the hospital received the first call at 7:55 a.m. alerting them to the accident near South Washington Street and Highway 175, the staff immediately jumped into action. A Code Yellow disaster alert was called, and within minutes, the staff was ready to provide care for the children. The first six children arrived only moments later via ambulance, followed quickly by a bus carrying the remaining 29 accident victims. Staff members quickly converted the hospital’s community room into a holding area so children could be assessed and school officials could help keep the kids calm. A portion of the Emergency Department waiting room was converted into a triage unit. Central Staffing at Texas Health Resources’ headquarters in Arlington contacted off-duty Texas Health Kaufman nurses who were not scheduled to work that day, and five extra nurses showed up to assist the three nurses, one doctor and one nurse manager already on duty. “In a matter of minutes, we were flooded with patients, but no one on our team panicked or hesitated,” says Kevin Smith, Texas Health Kaufman’s administrative director. “Everyone knew what to do. It was amazing to watch them work.” Though several children required X-rays and other diagnostic tests to evaluate for internal injuries, the majority of the children were treated for bumps and bruises. Fortunately, none of the children had any serious injuries. Practice Makes Perfect The quick and efficient treatment of the 35 children from the Kaufman Independent School District demonstrated to the community — and the hospital — how effective the disaster-preparedness training program is. The Emergency Department at Texas Health Kaufman typically evaluates about 70 patients in a 24-hour period, yet the nurses and doctors on the medical staff performed well under the unusual pressure of so many patients arriving at once. “When 35 patients show up all at once, there’s a chance that things are going to get chaotic and disorganized,” says Patsy Youngs, president of Texas Health Kaufman. “Thanks to ongoing disaster-preparedness training, our folks were cool under pressure and really did an amazing job.” To learn more about Texas Health Kaufman’s emergency services, visit TexasHealth.org/KaufmanER. “We are grateful to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Kaufman for the prompt and professional manner in which our students were treated. Although the injuries were not life-threatening, the response by the hospital staff—from doctors to administrators to nurses— was tremendous. Any time this type of positive response is directed toward children, it makes you stop and take notice.” — Todd Williams, superintendent of Kaufman Independent School District

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