Later this month the University of North Georgia will stage its annual disaster drill on the Gainesville campus.
The event is designed to give students, faculty and staff practical experience in how to respond in times of real, large-scale emergencies.
"A core focus area for our college is inter-professional education," said Dr. Teresa Conner-Kerr, dean of UNG's College of Health Sciences & Professions. "This event affords a critical opportunity for the different health care programs to work together with our campus partners toward a common goal of emergency preparedness. We look forward to expanding our partnerships and further enhancing the safety of our north Georgia community."
UNG officials said in an advance press statement this will be the largest mock disaster event the university has held to date. Nearly 200 first-year nursing, physical therapy and clinical mental health counseling students will play the victims while 226 students beyond their first year of study will split into 16 rescue teams, working to locate, triage and treat the "patients" throughout the exercise.
"One of the biggest threats to the safety of our campuses is severe weather. This type of exercise gives our officers exposure to scenes they may respond to during such an event," said Greg Williams, emergency preparedness coordinator for UNG's Office of Public Safety. "This event will better prepare our officers to confront situations such as severely damaged property and people that have crush injuries as a result of a tornado."
Also, UNG's Department of Clinical Mental Health Counseling will have faculty and students on site to support any participants who struggle with the serious nature of the environment created by the simulation. In addition, Hall County Emergency Medical Service will be on location to provide assistance in case any real injuries or emergencies occur during the exercise.
