News Releases

The Center Facilitates Virtual Active Shooter Training Exercise for 30 Healthcare Facilities

On Thursday, May 8, The Center for Health Affairs, the leading advocate for Northeast Ohio hospitals, facilitated a virtual active shooter training table-top exercise for 30 healthcare facilities located throughout Northeast Ohio. Historically, table-top exercises were only attended by a few staff members but this webinar format enabled each facility to invite key personnel as well as local law enforcement and first responders to the active shooter training scenario. 

During this discussion-based exercise, groups were led through a fictitious active shooter scenario occurring within their healthcare facility. This scenario enabled open dialog from healthcare facilities and local response agencies regarding the integration of response plans. The training scenario also aided in developing a unified command where situational awareness and communication is essential. 

This three-hour active shooter training exercise helped build relationships and strengthen community development by involving several hundred healthcare staff members, local law enforcement, fire departments and emergency medical services. Participating healthcare representatives included emergency management, safety and security departments, senior leadership, nursing leadership, facility departments, social services, ethics committees, legal professionals and more. 

The active shooter scenario was chosen as a result of recent events in Northeast Ohio, in addition to The Center for Health Affair’s Regional Hospital Hazard and Vulnerability Assessment (HVA). Although this type of threat was identified as being of low probability, it has a high impact for staff safety and business impact. HVAs are completed annually by The Center’s member hospitals and county emergency management agencies. Once results are compiled, The Center develops a regional HVA to select exercise scenarios to assist in preparing the healthcare facilities’ for the Joint Commission. 

The active shooter training exercise, led by The Center’s Emergency Preparedness Project Manager Andrea Bishop, focused on three key modules: 

• Notification – How will the healthcare facility notify staff, patients and visitors of event? What is the best method to notify law enforcement? 
• Integration – Is there a pre-determined staging area for law enforcement upon arrival? What do the police need from healthcare facilities to assist with neutralizing this type of situation? 
• Recovery – Once the shooter is neutralized, what steps will law enforcement need to take before the area can be cleared to continue patient care? Depending on the scene location(s), how will the healthcare facility recover from an active shooter incident and return to normal operations? 

Overall, the active shooter training exercise was well received by the participants and local healthcare facilities. Each participating healthcare facility has started formulating an improvement plan to remedy any gaps that were identified during the discussion. Moving forward, each facility will continue to work with their local law enforcement and first responders to test plans for an active shooter response. Similar trainings will be held in years to come. 

The Center’s Northeast Ohio Emergency Preparedness Initiative is committed to assisting the region’s hospitals in reaching individual, regional and statewide goals in order to reduce patient morbidity and mortality and improve the region’s overall ability to respond to emergencies and major events. To learn more about The Center’s Northeast Ohio Emergency Preparedness Initiative or about the recent active shooter training, please contact Beth Gatlin at beth.gatlin@chanet.org, 216.255.3665, or Andrea Bishop at andrea.bishop@chanet.org, 216.255.3662.