Orlando Health will be participating in a mass casualty exercise

Orlando Health hospitals will be participating in a mass casualty exercise Thursday, April 9. 

All Orlando Health hospitals and freestanding emergency departments will be participating in the annual full-scale mass casualty exercise from 8 a.m. to noon. 

Anyone who sees activity around the hospitals should know it only is an exercise. 

The hospitals are among more than 100 hospitals participating in the event, which is the "largest medical surge exercise in the country," according to the host coalition. 

"These very large exercises help us be better prepared for the uncertainty of this world," said Eric Alberts, assistant vice president of emergency management at Orlando Health and CFDMC Board Chair. "It is up to us to better plan, equip, train and practice what we teach. This exercise encapsulates all these efforts and builds on our levels of readiness and responsiveness while ensuring we can continue to care for the communities we serve."