MCH well prepared for shooting incident

Before three Ector County Sheriff’s Office deputies involved in a shooting Monday night even arrived to Medical Center Hospital, the staff was already preparing to handle the situation — from patient treatment to security.
Staff Emergency Department Educator Susan Dumire said it’s one of many situations they train for and communication is always key.
“Preparation of things like this happens long before we know it’s going to happen,” Dumire said. “We function in a type of state where we expect the unexpected. We do disaster drills every year so everyone is mindful of how to respond to certain situations.”
VP/Chief Nursing Officer Chad Dunavan said they prepare for the patients just like they would with any trauma, but if it’s an officer-involved shooting they know they may need to step up security in the Emergency Department. Dunavan described it as a kind of internal lockdown, where they secure the ED on the inside, where they’re actually providing care to the patients, but not areas like the waiting room.
“We don’t want other individuals coming up here,” Dunavan said. “Some people flock to the ED to see what’s going on, what’s happening.”
Ector County Hospital District Police Chief Brad Timmons said the hospital doesn’t necessarily go into a lockdown, but rather have a controlled access environment where officers control who enters and who exits.
All situations are treated differently though, Dunavan said, adding it depends on whether or not a suspect is still at large or has been detained and the type and extent of the victim’s injuries. The sheriff’s office originally believed a suspect may have been at large still after the Monday night shooting in north Odessa, but later said they were unable to confirm there was a third suspect involved. One suspect was shot and killed while another was taken into custody.
The shooting occurred at about 9:30 p.m. while the deputies were serving a warrant and by about 11 p.m. were listed in fair condition. All three were release from the hospital around 1 a.m.
“We’re just very thankful and blessed the deputies were OK and everything worked out,” Timmons said.
“We’re proud of our facility and proud of how our nurses and other staff, everyone communicated as a whole to ensure safety and make sure that the patients were well taken care of,” Dumire said.