Emergency Preparedness

Preparing for emergencies and disasters can make all the difference in the outcome of an unexpected situation. Therefore, OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center firmly believes in planning for the greatest care of our community in the case of an emergency either inside or outside our facility.

OSF emergency preparedness team works regularly with such agencies as the Rockford Fire Department, Rockford Police Department, Winnebago County Health Department, Winnebago County Emergency Services and the Illinois Department of Public Health. The Medical Center also prepares and shares emergency preparedness information with all members of Illinois Emergency Medical Services Region Planning Area 1, which is made up of 17 area hospitals, including SwedishAmerican Health System and Rockford Health System. Another part of being prepared is regularly exercising OSF’s Emergency Operations Plan by simulating various emergencies that are most likely to occur both internally and externally.

Some preparedness efforts include training staff for various situations such as a massive influx of patients, isolation of a single patient with a highly infectious pathogen, or chemical decontamination of a patient. OSF has on-site equipment to decontaminate and treat up to 120 ambulatory patients per hour. The equipment includes items such as chemical protection respirators, personal protective garb and an inflatable tent that is heated and pre-plumbed for warm water. Equipment is also on site to convert some meeting rooms into ward style treatment areas, which would increase hospital bed capacity by 20 percent.

Questions about preparedness efforts or inquiries about how to become a volunteer for one of our emergency exercises should be directed to the emergency preparedness director, Matt Hopkins, NREMT-P, at (815) 395-4624 or matt.hopkins@osfhealthcare.org.