ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) — Arnot Ogden Medical Center in Elmira is holding an emergency drill on the morning of Wednesday, October 30th. There will be increased police and fire presence, and officials want the public to know it is just a drill.
Starting around 8 a.m., officers from the Elmira Police Department, Chemung County Sheriff’s Office, and New York State Police will be at Arnot’s campus on Roe Ave in Elmira. Arnot is required, through state and federal regulations, to hold a number of community-based and community partner drills and exercises every year.
“Health care is certainly not immune to the potential for an active assailant threat, and the industry has some unique characteristics that others don’t. Namely, we’re not able to evacuate or withhold operations. We have to continue to provide patient safety and patient care,” said Matthew Zurcher, the director of public safety and emergency management at Arnot Health. “Starting a few years ago, we pulled our plan for this type of event and started working with those community partners to compare contrast and see how those plans can work together. Last year we held a tabletop of a similar scenario, walking through those plans in coordination, and so tomorrow we will put those plans into effect for an operational functional exercise.”…