More than 500 volunteers will put South Texas hospitals, emergency responders and public safety agencies to the test Wednesday during one of the largest healthcare preparedness exercises in the United States.
The San Antonio Mass Casualty Exercise and Evaluation — known as SAMCEE-26 — will simulate how the region responds to a large-scale mass casualty event. The drill begins at 8 a.m. at Freeman Coliseum.
Organizers said the exercise is designed to evaluate how the region handles treatment, hospital surge, patient tracking, communications, logistics and family reunification following a mass casualty incident. Volunteers will receive special-effects makeup to portray trauma patients. Exercise transport vehicles will carry simulated patients from the staging area to participating facilities.
Hospitals and healthcare facilities involved
Fifty hospitals and healthcare facilities across the region are taking part, along with the San Antonio Fire Department’s triennial exercise. A family reunification component will involve the San Antonio Fire Department Incident Management Team and the Bexar County Office of Emergency Management.
Participating facilities include:
Bexar County: Baptist, Methodist, CHRISTUS, University Health, UT Health San Antonio, Audie L. Murphy VA Medical Center, Brooke Army Medical Center
Outside Bexar County: Facilities in New Braunfels, Uvalde, Medina County, Guadalupe County, Dimmit County, Atascosa County and the Hill Country
Schools and universities participating
Other partners
About STRAC
SAMCEE is organized by the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, or STRAC, which coordinates emergency care across a 22-county trauma region covering roughly 26,000 square miles in South Texas.
Organizers follow a four-step preparedness approach: plan, equip, train and exercise. Results from SAMCEE-26 are expected to help agencies refine emergency plans, identify equipment gaps and shape future training.
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