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Hospital recognized for emergency response to bridge collapse

Emergency Management Alert, August 5, 2008

It was just over a year ago that the heavily traveled Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River during the evening rush hour.

For its emergency response efforts during the freeway bridge collapse, Hennepin County Medical Center has received the President’s award from the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH). This the first time the group has issued the award since 2002, when the New York Health and Hospitals Corporation was commended for its services after 9/11.

As a Level 1 trauma center, Hennepin County Medical Center treated 31 of the 126 injured victims of the August 1, 2007 bridge collapse, reported PRNewswire. Already operating at almost maximum capacity before the collapse, Hennepin swiftly staffed 10 operating rooms and 25 intensive care beds.

Eight of the patients arrived in critical condition at Hennepin and some patients were hospitalized for up to two months. “As the closest Level 1 trauma center, Hennepin received most of the critical victims,” said Larry S. Gage, NAPH president. “Their rapid response to this tragedy underscores the essential role safety net hospitals play nationwide when disaster strikes.”

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