New York Medical College Center for Disaster Medicine and Local Elected Officials Highlight Critical Need for Mass Casualty Triage Training
Day-long course at St. John’s Riverside Hospital prepared medical professionals for mass shootings, bombings, and other disasters
Jennifer Riekert, M.B.A.
Vice President of Communications and Strategic Initiatives
New York Medical College
(914) 594-4552
jennifer_riekert@nymc.edu
Denise C. Mananas, M.A.
Senior Director of Marketing
St. John’s Riverside Hospital
914-798-8990
dmananas@riversidehealth.org
Valhalla, New York – New York Medical College’s (NYMC) Center for Disaster Medicine conducted an eight-hour mass casualty triage training course with staff at St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, N.Y. Elected officials, including New York State Senate Majority Leader, Andrea Stewart Cousins, came to show their support and speak about the necessity of this training in order to provide mass casualty victims the best possible care.
“More than 300 mass shootings have occurred across the United States so far this year. When these events happen, local hospitals and other medical centers become overwhelmed with patients. Even the most seasoned emergency room professional can benefit from learning or brushing up on the most effective triage methods,” said David S. Markenson, M.D., M.B.A., medical director and interim director of the Center for Disaster Medicine. “Our training sessions are proactive ways medical professionals can prepare for disaster situations.”
The course featured hands-on exercises, lectures, and interactive group discussions to teach participants the most effective and evidence-supported emergency department and hospital triage methods, initial interventions, and patient flow approaches for mass casualty events. The Center for Disaster Medicine has previously held similar training sessions for first responders, law enforcement officials, healthcare leaders, business leaders, school officials.
“This kind of training is incredibly important to better prepare our current emergency room physicians as well as our emergency room residents. These providers are among the first line of responders and to have knowledge and the opportunity to actually practice their response prior to a crisis is invaluable,” said Elizabeth Fernandez, M.D., assistant program director of St. John’s Riverside Hospital’s Emergency Medicine Residency program and Emergency Medicine Physician.
About New York Medical College
Founded in 1860, New York Medical College is one of the oldest and largest health sciences colleges in the country with nearly 1,500 students and 330 residents and clinical fellows, more than 2,600 faculty members and 23,200 living alumni. The College, which joined the Touro College and University System in 2011, is located in Westchester County, New York, and offers degrees from the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, the School of Health Sciences and Practice, a School of Dental Medicine and a School of Nursing. NYMC provides a wide variety of clinical training opportunities for students, residents, and practitioners.
About St. John’s Riverside Hospital
St. John’s Riverside Hospital has been an integral part of its community since 1869 and its commitment to providing the most advanced medical services available continues to be part of St. John's vision, mission and values. St. John's built itself around an early foundation of nursing and community service. In 1894, the Cochran School of Nursing, the oldest hospital-based school of nursing in the metropolitan area, was founded, making the St. John's Nursing staff the backbone of the hospital. Approximately 400 physicians, representing almost every medical and surgical specialty, choose St. John’s for their patients’ care. St. John’s is a 4-campus health system that includes St. John’s Andrus, Dobbs Ferry, ParkCare and Boyce Thompson Pavilions. Please visit us on the web at RiversideHealth.org and on Facebook.