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Sentara Princess Anne prepares for mass casualty event, 'Something in the Water' Festival

Staff at the Sentara Princess Anne hospital said they're prepared for a mass casualty event after running a drill Monday.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — City leaders are hard at work trying to make sure the "Something in the Water" Festival goes smoothly this weekend. After months of preparation, emergency medical workers are planning for the unthinkable.

Sentara Princess Anne Hospital prepared for a mass casualty event. The drill involved several nurses, doctors and administrators in the Emergency Room.

"Practice makes perfect so we are going to perfect a few things just in case we ever needed it," explained Clinical Manager of Sentara Emergency Department Carrie Buck.

Staff at the hospital used tags with trauma numbers that EMS personnel use in the field. It allows hospital staff to know the descriptions of their patients' injuries.

Dr. Emily Harbin explained, "We always have to prepare for the worst. With this weekend's upcoming festivities, we really wanted to make sure that we were prepared. I think it went better than expected."

The Something in the Water Festival is less than a week away and thousands of people are expected to stay at the Oceanfront.

Buck said, "Anytime you have more people, you have more opportunities for medical emergencies, for accidents."

After this drill, hospital staff, including Buck, said they're prepared if something happens, but they hope it doesn’t.

“I'm very proud of everybody for the operational end of this, but we do have a to-do list for our administrative pieces,” said Buck.

Buck said they need to better organize their resources, better communicate and make sure everything is done in order.

"I think that's our biggest opportunity, just learning where and how to plug them in so we can best serve the patients,” Buck explained. 

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