This is triage. I have two patients, one unconscious and needing immediate care. That message and others like it crackle over hand-held radios.
Nurses bring in patients in wheelchairs, asking questions while checking the vital signs.
Some go directly to the emergency room. Others can be treated elsewhere. That was the scene at Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital on Dec. 30, when the hospital held an emergency situation drill, its second of the year. The hospital is required to stage two drills annually as part of a state accreditation process. The event was overseen by Gerry Boris, the hospital's respiratory care manager.