(Courtesy Avera McKennan)

This message is to trigger your mind in case you see something out of the ordinary at Avera McKennan Hospital.  On Tuesday, September 24, Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center will partner with the City of Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County to stage an evacuation exercise at Avera McKennan. This is part of the City/County Annual Exercise, held to help local emergency personnel remain prepared for emergencies and foster inter-agency cooperation.

The exercise will involve a facility evacuation in response to an emergency scenario, which will be described for participants the day of the event. Volunteers are being solicited to serve as mock patients/victims, so staff have real people with which to practice using evacuation equipment. Actual patients of Avera McKennan will not be engaged in the exercise.

The plan will also be exercised on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at the Avera Behavioral Health Center and on Thursday, Sept. 26, at Avera Prince of Peace Retirement Community/Dougherty Hospice House.  City Emergency Management, Public Health and Sioux Falls Fire Rescue are participating at Avera McKennan on Sept. 24. The SDANG Mobile Command Center will be on site at the Avera Behavioral Health Center for the exercise on Sept. 25.

According to a press release, Safety Director Kathy Jacobs says “Avera McKennan frequently stages our own drills to prepare our teams for storms, disasters or accidents with multiple victims. It’s our privilege for this exercise to partner with city and county personnel, and we look forward to this opportunity for training and collaboration.”

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