Published on September 28, 2023
Owensboro Health Hosts Emergency Drill
Owensboro Health held an emergency drill for first responders this morning at the Owensboro Health Healthpark, Owensboro Health Urgent Care and Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. Twenty-seven local students simulated having chlorine exposure at the Healthpark. The Owensboro Fire Department performed an initial decontamination on-site. Based on their symptoms, some students were transported to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, and others were taken to Urgent Care.
Katie Case, Emergency Management Specialist at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, said the exercise is important because chlorine exposure is happening more frequently, “even though we are simulating this here on site, we have a lot of pools in our community, from Splashin' Safari to public pools here in town. This has never been drilled before in Daviess County, so it's brand new to all of us. We are testing our capabilities, and we will see where any gaps are.”
When individuals have too much chlorine exposure, their symptoms can include skin irritation and respiratory issues, eye burning and loss of consciousness.
Agencies participating today include the Owensboro Fire Department, Owensboro Police Department, the Daviess County Sheriffs Department, Daviess County Emergency Management, AMR and Owensboro Health.
About Owensboro Health
Owensboro Health is a nonprofit health system with a mission to heal the sick and to improve the health of the communities it serves in Kentucky and Indiana. The system includes Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, nationally recognized for design, architecture and engineering; Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital; Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center; the Owensboro Health Medical Group comprised of over 350 providers at more than 30 locations; three outpatient Healthplex facilities, a certified medical fitness facility, the Healthpark; a weight management program, and the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center.
On average each year, we have more than 19,000 inpatient admissions, deliver 2,000 babies and provide the region’s only Level III NICU. Owensboro Health physicians perform nearly 33,000 surgical procedures, including nearly 150 open-heart surgeries. Our physicians and staff have 90,000 Emergency Department visits and more than 1.25 million outpatient visits annually. Visit our home page for more information.