The physicians, healthcare professionals, and other experts with our emergency preparedness affiliate COTS had an incredibly busy week with two large events.
Arnold Sports Festival: The largest multi-sport event in the country officially began on Thursday, March 5, and runs through Sunday, bringing thousands of people to central Ohio. For months before the event, the COTS team worked behind the scenes on planning and training with its healthcare, public safety, and emergency management partners.
On Wednesday, March 4, teams were on site for a live, in-person simulation of several potential emergencies. Teams worked through care and transport protocols for cardiac arrest, crush injury, and multi-victim, multi-location events — strengthening preparedness to manage complex emergencies while keeping everyone safe.
All local media outlets covered the simulation and highlighted the importance of the training and preparation:
OhioHealth also shared a story about the event and the collaboration with COTS: How OhioHealth Team Kept Athletes and Visitors Safe at 2026 Arnold Sports Festival, March 9, 2026
SEOHC Healthcare Emergency Drills: On Thursday, March 5, the Southeast/Southeast Central Ohio Healthcare Coalition (SEOHC) held a coordinated full-scale emergency drill involving every hospital in Regions 7 and 8. The drill imagines many serious emergencies related to severe weather – flooding and road closures impacting the ability to transport patients with severe injuries, weeks of rain breaking down infrastructure and leading to an outbreak of a waterborne illness, a hospital forced to evacuate, and more.
COTS activated their Hospital Incident Command Center and worked closely with each hospital and agency to manage the evolving scenarios and coordinate response efforts across the region.
Several regional media outlets covered the drill:
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