EBNHC Joins “Operation Ready 2007”
East Boston, MA, October 25, 2007—The East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) is proud to participate in Operation Ready 2007, a comprehensive emergency preparedness exercise conducted by the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport). The exercise will take place on Saturday, October 27, 2007, simulating a collision between two commercial aircraft. The drill will include rescue, triage, victim assistance, and hospital transport. More than 60 federal, state, and local agencies will participate in the exercise, along with more than 500 volunteers.
EBNHC is no stranger to the complexities of disaster planning. Since 1975, the health center has collaborated with Massport on preparedness drills and has responded to real-life events as needed.
East Boston is a geographically isolated area, accessible only by tunnel or bridge. EBNHC is the only major service provider in this inaccessible vicinity. Should a major event occur at Logan, EBNHC would be inextricably involved. This is a serious responsibility, and we’ve worked hard over the years to ensure that we can meet these potential challenges.
We have a long history of providing urgent care to East Boston residents, right in their own neighborhood. EBNHC is the only community health center in New England to operate a 24/7/365 Satellite Emergency Facility. Ambulances have brought patients to EBNHC for decades. EBNHC’s ER is the fourth busiest in the Boston area, handling 40,000 patient visits each year and alleviating the overburdened ER departments at Boston hospitals. EBNHC treats and stabilizes the full range of urgent conditions including heart attacks, congestive heart failure, and pulmonary emboli, with the exception of major trauma.
With an on-site laboratory, many test results are available within minutes, enabling EBNHC’s ER staff to quickly screen for critical medical conditions. We are able to stabilize and direct-admit patients to the hospital when necessary, bypassing expensive and congested hospital ERs. This significantly reduces costs and improves patient outcomes for those who require hospitalization, while avoiding the transfer of patients who can be treated at the health center.
EBNHC ER physicians and nurses are trained in emergency care. We use a sophisticated electronic medical record system that allows ER staff to track every patient’s status throughout the visit, improving patient outcomes and minimizing wait times. The ER is also equipped with a “safe room” for psychiatric emergencies.
EBNHC community members come from many different countries and speak many different languages. We provide care in more than a dozen languages, as needed. Language is the link to establishing a relationship with many East Boston residents and is one part of EBNHC’s commitment to providing the highest quality care to the community.
