Newburgh - St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital partnered successfully with key local emergency responders in a mock shooting incident drill carried out at Mount Saint Mary College on Friday. The drill, one of the many SLCH participates in each year, tested the staff’s and facility’s abilities to handle a large crisis, and confirmed the hospital’s readiness to respond.

According to the scenario, a student, angered after being informed that he would not be allowed to graduate with the rest of his class, returned to MSMC with a shotgun and handgun. Staged gunfire and mayhem ensued, and those posing as victims were rushed to the Emergency Departments at SLCH’s Newburgh and Cornwall campuses. 

Speaking at the joint media conference after the event, Karen Dipnarine-Saroop, a spokesperson for SLCH said, “We provided a swift, coordinated and effective medical and administrative response to the incident this morning. Fourteen patients were brought in to our Emergency Room at Newburgh, and of these, two were sent to our Emergency Department at Cornwall. Our medical teams followed established protocol in diagnosing and treating every patient.”

She added, “This morning’s exercise reiterates how seriously we take our responsibility to our surrounding communities. Our neighbors should feel confident that, should such an emergency situation actually occur, our hospital stands ready and able to provide the finest care possible.”

A person posing as a gunshot victim is treated by

Dr. Samuel Jones and Nancy Tetro, R.N., at the SLCH Emergency Department.

A student feigning injuries receives care at the SLCH Emergency Department.