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September 14, 2006, ST. LOUIS – Barnes-Jewish Hospital is highly prepared to handle a terrorist attack as well as other large-scale disasters in the St. Louis area.

In a study evaluating emergency preparedness among the nation''s hospitals, the National Foundation for Trauma Care (NFTC) named Barnes-Jewish Hospital as one of five "Highly Prepared" trauma centers.

The NFTC is a non-profit association organized to secure the economic viability of the nation''s trauma centers and advocates for trauma care at the state and national level.

Sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the NFTC conducted a nationwide survey on hospitals'' ability to respond to a terrorist attack - with the potential for biological, chemical and nuclear hazards - in their respective communities. Surveys were sent to over 500 hospitals with Level I and II trauma centers.

The most highly prepared hospitals were identified based on self-reported information during the first phase of the study. The second phase of the study involved a day and a half visit to the hospital to validate information reported to the NFTC by an expert both in trauma and disaster preparedness.

The site visit to Barnes-Jewish Hospital was conducted by Mark Ackermann, chief corporate services officer at St. Vincent''s Hospital in New York, whose trauma center responded to hundreds of patients injured from the World Trade Center attacks in 2001.

After reviewing all of the information, Barnes-Jewish was identified as highly prepared because of its comprehensive disaster planning, with procedures in place to respond to terrorist attacks as well as man-made and natural disasters such as chemical fires and earthquakes. The breadth and depth of preparedness proved impressive to the reviewers.

"The recognition of being highly prepared shows our comprehensive disaster planning and hospital-wide commitment to our current and future patients," says Douglas Schuerer, MD, Washington University trauma surgeon and medical director of the trauma center at Barnes-Jewish. "The St. Louis community should feel assured knowing that Barnes-Jewish is ready to respond to any type of disaster."

"We are committed to maintaining a leadership role in advancing excellence in trauma care throughout the Midwest," says Julie Nash, RN, MSN, Barnes-Jewish Hospital''s manager of trauma services.

Barnes-Jewish Hospital is the only Level I trauma center in the state of Missouri, Illinois and Arkansas verified by the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons.