A Code Orange was called by the Saskatchewan Health Authority following last Friday’s Humboldt Broncos bus crash that took 15 lives and injured 14 others.
Northern Health Authority Spokesperson Eryn Collins explains what this means for the hospitals.
“When a Code Orange is declared, it generally means that all levels of a hospital turn their focus to supporting the triage and treatment of patients from an event.”
Collins says the preparation and execution of a Code Orange is fairly similar all through Canada. It is only called for an “external mass casualty event”, and during the incident health authority jurisdictions get thrown out the window to allow for the best possible patient care.
“Code Orange response support is there from facilities in neighbouring communities or in other health authorities if we need to transfer patients to a higher level of care.”
Collins says the health authorities regularly train to ensure they are prepared for the rare occasion when a Code Orange is called.
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