The Department of Veterans Affairs held a week-long emergency operations exercise at the Safety Training Complex in Bossier City, La.

South Central VA Health Care Network brought together VA assets from across the south central United States into one location, according to a May 25 news release. The exercise demonstrated "continuity of effort to execute the network’s emergency operations plan by activating the hurricane and alternate care annexes."

"We had reception, lab services, mental health, telehealth, social work and housing, pharmacy and a command post," South Central VA Health Care Network Emergency Manager Sonya Stokes-Sumrall said in the news release. "We also had about 140 VA personnel here from eight medical facilities, the Disaster Advanced Coordination Team (DACT)."

During the exercise, VISN16 personnel set up a medical training site and taught participants how to build tents and shelters, as well mobilize equipment to assist veterans and their communities during natural disasters, according to the release.

"This was an emergency management exercise which looked like a small city," the news release said.

The exercise included several modular trailers and tents that served different functions in support of its single purpose, according to the release. Area police, firefighters, canteen services and clinics were included among the participants and DACT provided boxed tents and mobile systems that turned the exercise "into a full-fledged veteran support city."

"I thought the exercise went great," Christina Armstrong, a participating clinical physiologist, said in it the news release. "It's crucial. We should all be having these exercises annually, and I would like to see the next level, too. We should have full scenarios where we run veterans all the way through the system and exercise all facets. I think a scenario should test all VA providers that come from across the nation to see if they have access to the system that they need to support the veterans."