WVC Allied Health Disaster Preparedness Drill May 21

The Wenatchee Valley College Allied Health department will hold an Allied Health Disaster Preparedness Drill on Tuesday, May 21, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the Wenatchee campus. Allied health students and staff from both the Wenatchee and Omak campuses will participate in the drill, which will focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, priority setting, and timely and effective communication during an emergency.

About 270 participants will be involved in the drill, including about 100 "patients." The event will take place across the Wenatchee campus and in the allied health department simulation lab.

WVC Nursing faculty Mary Wolcott, co-coordinator for the event, explained that this is a unique event for the allied health department. "This activity will serve to strengthen collaboration between allied health disciplines, increase our awareness of disaster management and ultimately prepare our students to better serve our communities in the event of a disaster," she said.

Dr. Dan Diamond, an expert in emergency preparedness, will give a presentation to allied health students following the drill.

The WVC Allied Health department participated in a similar emergency drill last year with the Region 7 Healthcare Coalition, which consists of 14 hospitals, nine clinics, emergency management from five counties, the Colville Nation, the Wenatchee police department, Washington State Patrol, LINK and the Red Cross.