On Feb. 13, Sparrow Hospital in East Lansing, Mich., received and treated five victims from a mass shooting that took place on Michigan State University's campus killing three and injuring five. Now, nine months after the mass casualty event, the hospital is working to expand its protocols for events like this.
Since mass shooting events in the U.S. are not slowing down, preparing for a future mass casualty event only makes sense, Denny Martin, DO, president of Sparrow Hospital told Fox affiliate WSYM.
Rethinking where to put additional hospital beds in case a mass casualty event causes the hospital to reach capacity in its ED; preparing staff on every floor of the hospital to be ready to do the same if needed; and even considering how to reconfigure other departments like radiology to place patients there if it became necessary is part of what Dr. Martin and his team are thinking through.
It's a process, Dr. Martin told the news outlet, that will be continuously evolving with time. For now, he and his staff will continue to prioritize "fine-tuning and expanding its protocol to be ready for what may come in the future."
In the wake of the more than 500 other mass shootings that have occurred across the U.S. since the beginning of 2023, other hospitals are also beginning to implement mass casualty response plans as well.