Regions Hospital Ready For The RNC Tush

Regions Hospital is preparing for the Republican National Convention, insuring they will not be overwhelmed when the Twin Cities fills up this September. The hospital has recently renovated their Medical Resource Command Center or MRCC, a major communication tool used in organizing ambulance routes. It is one of only two in the Twin Cities and it services the east Metro and parts of Wisconsin. Through the MRCC, operators can determine which hospitals are open to taking patients and how many they're able to take at any given time. "We kind of become the flight control center for the ambulances," said MRCC Operator Dave Gammell.A patient tracking system has also been developed. It was first implemented during last year's state fair and it allows hospitals to determine when and where patients are transferred through bar-coded wristbands. Another tool that gives Regions confidence for the convention is the permanent decontamination area. One hundred to 150 people an hour can pass through the showers and the system can operate for four hours before the collection tanks must be drained. The hospital also plans to ramp up on their security staff. "That is one area that we are going to staff up just because it is a national security event and we're going to recognize that fact and be ready for it," said Regions Director of Plant Operations Rick Huston.