Pittsburgh-area hospital officials say they’ve never practiced for a Vegas-level tragedy, but they are confident they could handle it, according to an article on the Post-Gazzette website.
Pittsburgh area hospitals have never dealt with an influx of patients anywhere near the 500-plus people injured in Sunday night’s shooting massacre in Las Vegas.
“We would not be panicked into a coma,” said Bill Smith, UPMC senior director of emergency preparedness. “We — the entire region, not just UPMC — would have the ability to manage it.”
Nine UPMC hospitals in Allegheny County have emergency departments, including specialized trauma centers at UPMC Presbyterian, UPMC Mercy and UPMC Children’s hospitals to deal with life-threatening injuries such as shootings.