Hospitals Remain Unprepared for Biochemical Attacks

Nearly a year after 9-11, a majority of American hospitals remain unprepared to handle a biochemical attack, says a Michigan State University physician and hazardous material expert who has studied the issue.

His study, although published more than a year ago in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, remains extremely relevant today, says David Ghilarducci, an emergency medicine resident at the MSU College of Human Medicine's Kalamazoo campus.

The study surveyed 156 trauma centers around the nation.

Among the findings: Only 6 percent had the necessary equipment required for safe decontamination, 36 percent of staff had received proper training, about 30 percent had a complete hazardous material response plan and only 58 percent had ever performed a hazardous material drill.

"If you think of the emergency response chain, which includes police, fire, EMS personnel and hospital, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link," Ghilarducci says. "The hospitals just aren't as prepared as the field people.

"The investment we put in the pre-hospital response is wasted if you can't provide the same level of treatment at the hospital end," he says.