ECU Health Medical Center recently conducted a comprehensive, campus-wide lockdown exercise focused on preparedness for an active threat scenario. The exercise brought together a broad group of hospital leaders, clinical teams, support services and safety partners, demonstrating a strong, unified commitment to protecting patients, visitors, and team members.
The exercise provided an important opportunity to evaluate existing emergency protocols, communication pathways and leadership coordination across the organization. Multiple strengths were identified, including effective leadership presence, clear command structure, and strong collaboration between departments. Participants also highlighted valuable opportunities for improvement that will help further enhance readiness and response capabilities in real-world situations.
“Conducting drills based on real-life scenarios is a key component of preparedness,” said Dr. David Trisler, trauma and surgical critical care. “As the region’s Level I Trauma Center, it is incumbent upon us at ECU Health Medical Center to be prepared for various emergency scenarios. It was encouraging to see the level of participation from stakeholders across the entire breadth of hospital service lines, including both clinical and non-clinical personnel.”
Building on the lessons learned, ECU Health Medical Center will continue to expand on preparedness efforts through additional unit-based drills and functional exercises that help promote a culture of safety. These targeted and scenario-driven activities will continue to strengthen coordination, reinforce best practices, and ensure that teams across the campus remain confident, capable, and ready to respond to any emergency.
“Exercises like this helps our team identify strengths and opportunities for improvement,” said Murry Stroud, Emergency Management manager for ECU Health Medical Center. “Our goal is to maintain a safe environment for patients, visitors, and team members by continuously refining our emergency response strategies.”