To hear them talk about an average day, safety officials at hospitals in Philadelphia say they're used to a chaotic environment.

So it was no surprise that the staff knew just what to do when word first came into the ED at Temple University Hospital just after 9:30 p.m. on May 12 that an Amtrak train had derailed on the major Washington-New York rail corridor running through the city.

Within minutes, at least seven hospitals in the greater Philly area, including Temple, received warning to get ready to receive hundreds of patients, from busloads of "walking wounded" to critically injured patients coming in via ambulance.

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"I walked the halls that night and I saw what I call the 'Temple spirit,' " says John N. Kastanis, FACHE, president and CEO of Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia. "We were a well-oiled machine that night. We were prepared and it really showed and we got a lot of positive recognition."

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