Parrish Medical Center Participates in Full-Scale Community Preparedness Exercise

TITUSVILLE, FLA. (April 29, 2024)—Parrish Medical Center was one of sixty (60) hospitals throughout Central Florida that participated in a full-scale mass casualty preparedness exercise last Thursday, April 25, 2024. This exercise was sponsored by the Central Florida Disaster Medical Coalition, a not-for-profit organization that operates to build, strengthen and sustain a healthcare preparedness and response system within Central Florida.

The goal of the exercise was to prepare local hospitals, medical professionals, emergency response personnel and law enforcement to respond to a catastrophic incident should one take place in Central Florida. More than 1,700 student-volunteers participated in the preparedness exercises acting as both victims and working in supportive roles throughout the exercise efforts. Volunteers pretending to act as victims wore makeup to simulate injuries and traveled to local hospital emergency departments for treatment.

President and CEO George Mikitarian commented on the necessity for preparedness exercises. “These exercises are vital for finetuning our organization’s preparedness efforts. It is an invaluable opportunity for our Care Partners to practice and refine our response protocols in a controlled environment. By simulating these scenarios, we are able to uncover areas of improvement and enhance our readiness.”

Exercises took place at several hospitals throughout Central Florida including Brevard, Indian River, Lake, Martin, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, St. Lucie and Volusia Counties. Other organizations involved in this preparedness exercise included nine emergency management offices, the Central Florida Disaster Medical Coalition (CFDMC), FBI and local law enforcement, EMS agencies, Central Florida Schools and other community partners.

“We appreciate all who participated in last week’s exercise. Together, we make Parrish Medical Center, Brevard County and Central Florida, a safe place to live,” added Mikitarian. For additional information about the Central Florida Disaster Medical Coalition, please visit www.centralfladisaster.org. For additional information about Parrish Medical Center or Parrish Healthcare, please visit www.parrishhealthcare.com.