Emergency Simulation Enabled Team Members to ‘Put Their Skills into Practice’ 

ThedaCare recently practiced its readiness to respond to a pediatric mass-casualty event – by staging one.

ThedaCare coordinated a mass casualty drill on October 2 at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah. It was held in collaboration with local law enforcement and first responder organizations.

The mock exercise featured a simulated bus crash, complete with about 20 Cub Scouts from Pack 3177, Greenville, acting as injured or seriously distressed passengers and about 10 adults serving in similar roles. Kobussen Buses provided the school bus for the exercise.

Putting Skills into Practice

ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah is pursuing certification as a pediatric-ready emergency department. The recent mock casualty event is part of that process, said Audrey Rosin, a registered nurse and manager of Emergency Services at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah.

The certification is a program under the auspices of the Wisconsin Emergency Medical Services for Children, led by the Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin.

“High levels of pediatric readiness in emergency departments are associated with better outcomes for sick or injured children,” Rosin said. “This exercise allowed our team members and community collaborators to put their skills into practice while helping build confidence for real-life emergency situations. The exercise helps ensure we are thoroughly ready to meet the unique and varied emergency medicine needs of children.”

Hospitals play a critical role in ensuring children receive the highest quality emergency care when they need it most, she explained.

“Children’s health needs are unique from adults,” Rosin said. “They aren’t just small adults, they have physiologic differences that make them more vulnerable in emergencies, such as smaller airways and higher respiratory rates. Our drill served as a reminder that pediatric patients require specific care, different from what we typically provide adults.”

The National Pediatric Readiness Project has said high levels of pediatric emergency readiness are associated with:

• 76% lower mortality rate in ill children
• 60% lower mortality rate in injured children
• 2,143 children’s lives saved across the United States each year

Emergency departments across the U.S. typically are designed to treat adults. Many are not fully equipped to care for critically ill or injured children who require specialized care and equipment.

Next Steps

The drill provided an additional opportunity for ThedaCare to confirm its preparedness to care for its youngest emergency department patients, Rosin said. Other steps have included:

• Requiring emergency department nurses and providers to participate in annual pediatric-specific emergency drills.
• Requiring ThedaCare’s emergency department registered nurses to take Pediatric Advanced Life Support every two years and an Emergency Nurse Pediatric Course every four years.
• Adding a pediatric emergency care coordinator nurse to ensure pediatric standards of care are met and high quality care is delivered.
• Fundraising to purchase Bedside Buddies – teddy bears given to pediatric patients to provide comfort and anxiety reduction in the emergency department.

“Our pursuit of pediatric-readiness certification is to help ensure that we continue to provide the highest quality care to our patients and people in the communities we serve,” Rosin said. “It will also help us as we work to better align with state policies and strive to enhance our overall emergency preparedness.”

ThedaCare has submitted its request for certification to the Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin and aims to have the review complete by the end of 2025.

About ThedaCare

For more than 115 years, ThedaCare® has been improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves in Northeast and Central Wisconsin. The organization delivers care to more than 650,000 residents in 17 counties, and employs approximately 7,000 providers and team members at 180 points of care, including nine hospitals. As an organization committed to being a leader in Population Health, team members are dedicated to empowering people to live their unique, best lives. ThedaCare is a not-for-profit health system with a level II trauma center, comprehensive cancer treatment, stroke and cardiac programs, as well as primary care. ThedaCare also partners with communities to understand needs, find solutions together, and encourage health awareness and action. In 2024, ThedaCare and Froedtert Health combined to form one system to strengthen local health care and provide high-quality services for treatment and prevention in a coordinated manner.