As part of a comprehensive natural disaster response exercise on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22, Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health and the New Jersey EMS Task Force built a 50-bed field hospital to ensure continuity of care in the event of a hurricane.
The field hospital was built at the health system's Old Bridge (N.J.) Medical Center, according to an Oct. 24 news release.
"As we near the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, and deal with the aftermath of more recent Hurricanes Ida and Ian, it’s never been more important to conduct these exercises and drills," said Patricia Carroll, MSN, the hospital's president and CEO.
In addition to the field hospital, Hackensack Meridian Health would have access to medical ambulance buses and oxygen generation trucks if it experienced infrastructure failure after a natural disaster.