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New York Medical College’s Center for Disaster Medicine Brings Training to Albany Medical Center

Mass Casualty Triage Training Prepares Clinicians for Influx in Patients; Teaches Effective Triage Methods During Disaster Events

Valhalla, N.Y. –  On July 17, emergency department physicians and other medical professionals at Albany Medical Center participated in an eight-hour Principles and Application of Mass Casualty Triage course. Taught by faculty of New York Medical College’s Center for Disaster Medicine, the course was designed to refresh the knowledge of medical professionals responsible for the initial triage of victims following an incident such as a mass shooting.

New literature in emergency and disaster medicine following recent mass shootings, bombings, and other disasters suggests that emergency departments may be underprepared for the influx of “self-referred” patients following a mass casualty event. A “self-referred” patient is a victim of disaster or other large-scale emergency who self-evacuates or is removed from an emergency incident and bypasses the on-scene triage, treatment, and prioritized transport procedures initiated by emergency medical services agencies. Many acute care hospitals are not equipped to address a mass influx of patients whose sheer numbers might overwhelm the hospital’s capacity and capabilities, and slow or impair the response to more critically injured patients. The training course focused on prioritizing patient care based on the capacity for surgical intervention, critical care admission, or stabilization in the emergency department.

Physicians and medical professionals from numerous departments at Albany Medical Center participated in the training event, including: Adult and pediatric emergency medicine, general and trauma surgery, and anesthesiology. Photos from the training can be found here.

“Following a mass casualty event, hospitals must manage an unexpected influx of patients with clinical needs that sometimes exceed the available resources of the facility. Being able to properly prioritize treatment, with limited resources, is a skill that will help save lives,” said Michael J. Reilly, Dr.P.H. ’10 M.P.H. NRP director of the Center for Disaster Medicine, associate professor of environmental health science, associate professor of clinical emergency medicine, and director of Center of Excellence in Precision Responses to Bioterrorism and Disasters. “Successfully completing this course has made the physicians and other health professionals at Albany Medical Center even more prepared to manage an event with multiple seriously ill and injured victims.”

"As the busiest level one trauma center in New York State, it's important to train and drill all Albany Med staff for disasters — from our clinicians to our security personnel, and facilities and support staff — so that Albany Med is equipped to handle any emergency we are faced with, and to ensure that our facility remains fully operational in the event of a significant mass casualty event," said Scott Heller, director of Emergency Management at Albany Med. "We thank Dr. Reilly and the New York Medical College's Center for Disaster Medicine for providing Albany Med with this very important training."

This training was made possible by funding awarded to the Center through the Empire State Development, NYSTAR Centers of Excellence Program. The Center for Disaster Medicine was designated a Center of Excellence in Precision Responses to Bioterrorism and Disasters in 2017 by the State of New York and receives annual support to conduct workforce-related training and direct services throughout the State. In addition to working with law enforcement, the Center has recently partnered with the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) to educate emergency department physicians on the management of patients following mass shooting and mass casualty events. The Center continuously works with its partners and stakeholders to provide timely and innovative education programs that utilize evidence-based approaches to increase the capacity of healthcare and emergency responders to meet the needs of the public following disasters, acts of terrorism, and public health emergencies.

New York Medical College

Founded in 1860, NYMC is one of the oldest and largest health sciences colleges in the country with more than 1,400 students, 1,300 residents and clinical fellows, nearly 3,000 faculty members, and 19,000 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.