How Prepared is UAB Hospital for a Mass Shooting?
When asked if UAB Hospital is ready for mass shooting, Dr. Jeff Kerby, chief of UAB’s trauma service, doesn’t hesitate.
“The short answer is yes,” Kerby says.
Mass shootings are increasingly common across the U.S. Just last weekend, two separate events in Texas and Ohio killed more than 30 people and wounded dozens more. Kerby says each emergency is different, but UAB has a plan.
“You know we have an internal process for mass casualties, disaster response, that we plan for, that we drill, so that everybody’s prepared, everybody’s ready and sort of knows what to do if something like that happens,” Kerby says.
This process is orchestrated by UAB’s full time emergency preparedness team, managed by Bill Mayfield. He says it’s an ever-evolving process. Team members draft plans, run a series of exercises, tweak the plans and repeat. Mayfield says UAB Hospital practiced the most comprehensive simulation exercise for a mass casualty event last December.
“We have patient actors and… law enforcement and fire and our researchers are doing the rescues for real and they’re transporting for real to our emergency rooms,” Mayfield says. “And the example in December, we deliberately tried to overload our ER’s to push them to their max.”
He says they add to this preparation by reviewing government documents and first-hand reports to gain insight from actual events.
The hospital has also learned from its own experiences. In 2011, when tornadoes ripped through Alabama, UAB treated over 100 patients in one night.
Whether it’s a natural disaster or a disease outbreak, Mayfield says the goal of emergency preparedness is to quickly establish a system to assess patients and coordinate care. But he says a mass shooting would present specific challenges.
“You typically get really short notice on an event like this and you get patients relatively quickly,” Mayfield says.
And those patients are more likely to have gunshot wounds. Kerby says UAB is well-prepared for these kinds of injuries. As Alabama’s busiest level-one trauma center, the hospital treated 700 gunshot wounds last year. Still, Kerby says there is a chance of falling short in an emergency.
“It’s always a concern,” he says. “You know, luckily, we’re a very well-resourced hospital.”
Both Kerby and Mayfield say the bigger concern is managing those resources, not only to ensure a steady supply of manpower, but also to make sure caregivers have time to care for themselves during such a traumatic event.
Editor’s Note: WBHM is a member-supported service of UAB, but our newsroom and business operations are separate.
Alabama regulators approve two-year electric rate freeze and two solar projects for a Meta data center
Critics say the rate freeze will only delay financial burdens on Alabama Power customers while preserving a high profit rate for the utility.
Auburn tabs USF’s Alex Golesh as its next coach, replacing Hugh Freeze on the Plains
The 41-year-old Golesh, who was born in Russia and moved to the United State at age 7, is signing a six-year contract that averages more than $7 million annually to replace Hugh Freeze. Freeze was fired in early November after failing to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three seasons on the Plains.
Alabama Power seeks to delay rate hike for new gas plant amid outcry
The state’s largest utility has proposed delaying the rate increase from its purchase of a $622 million natural gas plant until 2028.
Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones announces run for Alabama governor
Jones announced his campaign Monday afternoon, hours after filing campaign paperwork with the Secretary of State's Office. His gubernatorial bid could set up a rematch with U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the Republican who defeated Jones in 2020 and is now running for governor.
Scorching Saturdays: The rising heat threat inside football stadiums
Excessive heat and more frequent medical incidents in Southern college football stadiums could be a warning sign for universities across the country.
The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring an Audio Editor
The Gulf States Newsroom is hiring an Audio Editor to join our award-winning team covering important regional stories across Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.
