What happens when internal disaster is declared in an ED?

When an internal disaster is declared in an Emergency Department (ED), activating a red status is a response that indicates a significant level of emergency requiring immediate action and heightened protocols. This activation reflects the hospital's state of alert for resource constraints or overwhelming patient influx due to various reasons like a system failure, shortages of staff, or any other critical situation affecting normal operations.

In this context, red status facilitates specific actions necessary to manage the crisis effectively. It serves as a signal for the ED and hospital staff to prepare for increased activity levels and coordinate responses with various departments to ensure patient safety and care.

The other statuses, such as green status, typically pertain to preparedness or lower alert levels that do not require as urgent a response as red status. Accepting all patients or diverting ambulance traffic would probably be actions more aligned with specific disaster protocols rather than the broader implications of a red status, which is intended to ensure that existing resources are adequately managed during a crisis.