Who: West Penn Allegheny Health System and its affiliated hospitals, Allegheny General Hospital and the Western Pennsylvania Hospital

What: A mass casualty emergency operations drill will be held at Allegheny General Hospital and the Western Pennsylvania Hospital in preparation for the Pittsburgh G20 Summit later this month. The drill will involve AGH’s Emergency Department (including its patient decontamination facility), West Penn Hospital’s Burn Unit and the System’s Emergency Operations Command Center, which is based at AGH..

Where: AGH Emergency Department on Sandusky Street and Emergency Operations Command Center, located on the second floor of the hospital’s Cancer Center (corner of James and Hemlock Streets).

When: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Why: West Penn Allegheny Health System and AGH have been active participants in the planning for the region’s emergency response capabilities during the G20 Summit. The objectives of these planning efforts, including tomorrow’s drill, are to keep AGH and all of West Penn Allegheny’s campuses safe, open and prepared to meet the community’s regular healthcare needs during Summit while also responding to any emergency scenario that may occur during the summit. The drill will also provide an opportunity to test the health system’s interactions with local and federal authorities as part of the region-wide emergency response plan.