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Hospitals, public agencies simulate natural disaster for training purposes – June 20-21, 2012

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Hospitals and public agencies from 22 counties will work together to prepare for disasters during the exercise, “Operation Gone with the Wind” June 20-21 at Camp Ripley, 15000 Highway 115, Little Falls, Minn. The full-scale disaster simulates a tornado impact on the fictitious town of Twelve Oaks. The exercise includes 350 participants from more than 100 agencies and facilities throughout Central and West Central Minnesota (See list at end).
The simulation includes an evacuation of a critical access hospital and nursing home to a neighboring facility, the implementation of an alternate medical care site using the Medical Reserve Corp, and use of the Minnesota Mobile Medical Team to assist the receiving hospital handling the influx of patients.
This exercise takes advantage of training facilities at Camp Ripley including:
• Combined Arms Collective Training Facility – a brand new 26-building cinder block city that will be the site of the tornado impact.
• Emergency Management Training Facility – a state-of-the-art emergency operations center used by the county emergency management teams. This is the first large-scale exercise to use this facility.
• Medical Unit Training Facility – the troop medical center will play the role of critical access hospital receiving patients from an evacuating hospital.
Officials who will be on-site include: Kris Eide, Minnesota’s director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management; Brig. Gen. (retired) Joe Kelly, Homeland Security and Emergency Management; Aggie Leitheiser, Assistant Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Health; Mona Dohman, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Public Safety; Col. Scott St. Sauver, Camp Ripley Post Commander; and Congressional Aides from U.S. Senator Al Franken’s office and U.S. Representative Michelle Bachmann’s office.
This exercise is made possible by a federal grant from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (Department of Health and Human Services) and allocated by the Minnesota Department of Health/Office of Emergency Preparedness.
Participants from the following counties in the Central and West Central Health Care System Preparedness Regions: Benton, Cass, Chisago, Clay, Crow Wing, Douglas, Grant, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwa, Morrison, Ottertail, Pine, Pope, Sherburne, Stearns, Stevens, Todd, Traverse, Wadena, Wilkin, Wright .
Registered Agencies/Organizations: Albany Hospital, Morrison County Emergency Management, Allina Buffalo Hospital Morrison County Public Health, Allina Cambridge Medical Center, New River Medical Center, American Red Cross, North Air Care, Belgrade Nursing Home, North Memorial Brainerd Ambulance, Benton County Public Health, Ottertail County Emergency Management, Benton County CERT, Ottertail County Public Health, Benton County Emergency Management, Paynesville Area Health Care System , Bethany Home, Pine County Emergency Management , Camp Ripley Pine County Public Health, Cass County Emergency Management, Pine Medical Center; Cass Public Health; Pine Villa Melrose; CentraCare Health System – Long Prairie, Pope County Emergency Management, Central MN Mobile Medical Team Pope County Public Health , Chisago Public Health, Prairie Ridge Medical Center, Clay County Emergency Management, Red Cross Disaster Mental Health, Clay County Public Health, Regional EMS/EMSRB, Crow Wing County Emergency Management, Sanford Perham Hospital, Crow Wing County Public Health, Sanford Wheaton Hospital, Cuyuna Medical Center, Sherburne County Emergency Management, Douglas County Emergency Management, Sherburne County Public Health, Douglas County Hospital, St. Cloud Hospital, Douglas County Public Health, St. Gabriel’s Hospital, Elders Home, St. Michael’s Hospital, F/M Ambulance, St. Ottos Care Center, Fairview Lakes Hospital, Stearns County Emergency Management, First Light Medical Center, Stearns County CERT, Glacial Ridge Medical Center, Stearns County Public Health, Gold Cross Ambulance, Stevens Community Medical Center, Grant County Emergency Management, Stevens County Emergency Management, Grant County Public Health, Stevens County Public Health, Isanti County Public Health, Todd County Emergency Management, Kanabec County Emergency Management, Todd County Public Health, Kanabec Public Health, Traverse County Emergency Management, Knute Nelson Nursing Home, Traverse County Public Health, Lakewood Health System Tri-County, Leech Lake EMS Tri-County Hospital, LifeLink III Upper Mississippi Mental Health Center, Maple Lake EMS, VA Medical Center, MDH/Office of Emergency Preparedness, Wadena County Emergency Management, Melrose Hospital, Wadena County Public Health, Metro Mobile Medical Team, Wilkin County Emergency Management, Mille Band of Ojibwa, Wilkin County Public Health, Mille Lacs County Emergency Management, Wisconsin National Guard – 724th Eng Battalion, Mille Lacs County Public Health, Wright County Emergency Management, Minnesota Responds, Wright Public Health, Mille Lacs Health System, Minnesota Department of Health.