Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
People began heading into Kosciusko Community Hospital Wednesday evening well before actual tornado "touchdowns" were reported in Warsaw.
The hospital is a designated refuge during natural disasters, according to Julie Bowers, RN, Critical Care Division director, and citizens often seek shelter there during storms.
The expected group of people was directed to the cafeteria while the staff observed "code yellow" status as the tornado alert sirens screamed through the city.
"Code yellow activates the disaster plan," Bowers said Thursday. "The staff immediately takes an inventory of beds and frees up staff for an influx of people."
Three levels of care are immediately established for people with acute injuries, those whose treatment can be delayed and minor treatment.
While 12 Da-Lite Screen employees and two vehicle accident victims arrived at the hospital, anxious and worried family members and others seeking information streamed into the front lobby.
"When families called Da-Lite and couldn't get through, many came here for information," Bowers said.
Many were directed to the Health and Wellness Center a little north of the hospital on Provident Drive.
Some stayed in the front lobby. In both cases the chaplaincy staff acted as liaisons.
"It was very difficult for families being that far away," the director said. "It took a little bit of time to get information to those waiting."
During "normal" emergency situations, the person being treated has a family member near each step of the way.
At least one person was transferred to Parkview Memorial Hospital with multiple fractures to the face, one was admitted to KCH for observation and nine others were treated and released,
Bowers said other employees left the Da-Lite Screen property believing they were all right and discovered an injury once they got home, returning to the hospital to report the problem.
Still others, hurt while checking storm damage, came after the initial group of wounded..
Bowers had nothing but praise for the hospital staff response to this emergency.
Because the tornadoes whipped through Kosciusko County at shift change time, many medical workers remained and local physicians rushed to the facility to lend their hands.
"Even an obstetrician," Bowers said with a laugh. "A baby was delivered in the middle of everything."
Instead of the emergency room, many people were seen in the ambulatory care center or SurgiCenter. Designed with individual treatment bays and set up for the next day's business, the SurgiCenter served as an ideal triage center in addition to the emergency room area.
Bowen Center staff members arrived for one woman, Bowers said, who had a sibling involved in a similar disaster years ago.
"She and her family were exceptionally anxious." she said. "The Bowen Center people were extremely helpful."
The hospital and other emergency response organizations have been planning a simulated emergency Nov. 3.
During the mock disaster KCH planned to test several new patient tracking procedures. An automated system is given data about a person from the time they're first seen at an injury site until they are discharged from the hospital.
"We learned from that how to register a large number of patients a little better," Bowers said. "We're on the right track with the automated system."
