Providence Holy Cross Hospital is set to participate in a disaster drill Thursday to test the hospital’s emergency readiness in the wake of shootings across the country.

During the past year, state and local officials have planned the annual disaster drill to ensure California’s hospitals are ready to respond to emergencies, natural and man-caused disasters.

The emergency scenario for the drill is a series of mass casualty shootings, “Fiction that tragically mirrors recent horrors in Las Vegas; Sutherland Springs, Texas; and (Tuesday) in a rural Northern California county,” said Providence officials in a statement.

Medical teams at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, renowned for emergency and trauma care, will hone their skills trianing 100 “patients” played by students from nearby Alemany High School who will be made up to appear injured and arrive at the hospital by ambulance or on foot.

The goal of the drill is to make sure all departments of the hospital are prepared in the event of a disaster.

“We are a trauma center, the medical department has extensive experience with emergencies,” said Patricia Aidem, spokesperson for Providence. “The drill ensures all departments are prepared in the event of a major emergency or natural disaster.”

Inside the hospital, a full incident command center will be activated with all departments checking in to help manage the surge of “patients,” any potential staffing and security issues, emergency communications and family information systems.

Aidem noted the annual drill keeps the entire hospital “ready for disaster” in the event tragedy strikes close to home.

Hospitals, including the six Providence medical centers in the Los Angeles Area, regularly stage real-life drills to prepare for disaster, to troubleshoot and to determine what it will take to step up when the unimaginable happens. Providence Holy Cross is a trauma center, staffed and equipped to handle the most serious injuries.

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