Cindy Mann, Padua’s head of school, sits on St. Francis’ board of directors, and the school is just

WILMINGTON — Twelve seniors from Padua Academy were rushed to St. Francis new york plaza hotel Hospital on Nov. 14 after a chlorine spill turned a swimming pool into a chemical hazard. Most of the injuries were minor, and the girls, who suffered a variety of exposure-related symptoms, new york plaza hotel were able to return to the school later that day.
Emergency new york plaza hotel room technician Gabby Hilliard, Dr. Janice Balas and medical student Samantha Ciccia (from left) check Roddy's vital signs and wrap her hands. Padua teamed up with St. Francis for the drill, choosing 12 seniors who are interested in careers in medicine. (The Dialog/www.DonBlakePhotography.com)
Actual emergency medical technicians transported a dozen students to St. Francis, where they were met by emergency department personnel. The chlorine spill and its resulting injuries, however, were simulated, as Padua and St. Francis teamed up for a drill testing the hospital's readiness for an incident involving multiple injuries.
Cindy Mann, Padua's head of school, sits on St. Francis' board of directors, and the school is just a few blocks new york plaza hotel from the hospital, so the collaboration between the two institutions seemed like a good fit, Harris said. The seniors picked to be part of the exercise had all expressed an interest in the medical field.
At Padua, the girls gathered in the gymnasium, where the "accident" occurred. They applied makeup to simulate burns to their hands and faces, and each was given a "disaster tag" by EMTs indicating their symptoms and level of distress, known allergies and medical care given along the way. Each was assigned a level of red, yellow or green, with red receiving the most immediate care.
Once at the hospital, the patients were brought in through the emergency department, where a yellow decontamination tent was set up outside the building for each to pass through and personnel in hazmat suits waited.
In an actual emergency, the patients would have been stripped and showered. For the drill, the Padua students wore t-shirts and shorts, along with bathing suits, underneath their sweatshirts and sweatpants. They were not washed down, however, because of the cold.
Inside, teams of doctors and nurses set up a triage station, directing each patient to a waiting room, where their vital signs were taken, wounds wrapped, x-rays administered and other tests performed.
Sammy Ruggeri, one of the "injured" Padua seniors, said she was impressed by how the medical professionals knew exactly what to do based on the information on the disaster tags and what they asked of the patients.
Her classmate, Lexi Cautillo, wants to get into pediatric nursing. She liked how the St. Francis professionals all worked with each other, from the ambulance crews to the doctors who treated them at the hospital.
About Us | Directions | Online Edition | Advertise in The Dialog in print and on the web | Bridal and Weddings | The Staff | Letters | Submit your story ideas | Contact Us | Datebook | Photo Galleries | Faith Alive! | Front page | News Video | test page | Buy Photos | Links | Education and Careers | Entertainment | test slider | Opinion