Post by The Hospital for Sick Children

Judy Jung doesn't consider herself to be a “doomsday person,” but her role at SickKids often has her considering — and preparing for — the worst-case scenario. As Clinical Director of Trauma, Burns and Surgical Specialties, Access and Flow, Judy's job often involves thinking through what could go wrong in certain situations — including major city-wide events like the FIFA World Cup — so she can confidently say the organization, Ontario's leading trauma hospital for paediatrics, is ready for anything. This includes preparing and planning for situations where multiple patients may need urgent, complex care all at once, while ensuring the hospital continues to operate as usual. "A lot of work goes into planning for something of this scale," Judy says. "While FIFA brings unique considerations, the work is built on an already robust foundation of emergency preparedness, response planning and collaboration across teams.” “If we've done it right, most people will never see the effort behind the scenes. The best outcome is that the plans stay on my desktop and the event unfolds safely and seamlessly.” Behind those plans is a deeply coordinated effort focused on one key question: Is SickKids truly ready if something goes wrong? Judy oversees the trauma and burn programs — teams that would be among the first to respond in the event of a major incident — as well as hospital operations in multiple clinical areas. She helps ensure the hospital can continue to run smoothly under pressure, so that regularly scheduled appointments and surgeries can proceed — even during periods of heightened demand. Getting SickKids ready for FIFA means thinking through everything that could go wrong at the international event, from infrastructure challenges, crowd surges and injuries, to traffic congestion and staffing disruptions that could impact patient flow. From working closely with emergency preparedness and trauma teams to operational leaders, Judy emphasizes the importance of looking at every scenario from multiple angles — balancing clinical expertise with operational insight. For Judy, hospital operations encompasses people, workflows, supplies and space. She reviews staffing, plans incident management pathways, verifies that policies are up to date and participates in testing of emergency protocols, such as stress-testing systems through simulations. She also works in close collaboration with partners, like other hospitals and integrated provincial planning teams. Together, they test cross-system communication, coordination and decision-making to ensure patients and families continue to receive the care they need, no matter what is going on. So, does she think SickKids is ready? "We're prepared," Judy says. "No organization can anticipate every scenario, but we invest heavily in preparedness, training and coordination. When unexpected situations arise, our teams have the expertise, experience and structures in place to respond effectively."