Use of an Innovative Design Mobile Hospital in the Medical Response to Hurricane Katrina
Received 5 January 2006; received in revised form 17 February 2006 and 12 May 2006; accepted 26 June 2006. published online 29 August 2006.
Refers to article:
Walls of Canvas, Walls of Steel
, 28 March 2007
Jonathan L. Burstein
Annals of Emergency Medicine
May 2007 (Vol. 49, Issue 5, Page 589) Full Text |
Full-Text PDF (47 KB)
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused widespread devastation to the Gulf Coast region of the United States. Although New Orleans had extensive damage from flooding, many communities in Mississippi had equal damage from storm surge and wind. Because the medical resources in many of these areas were incapacitated, resources from North Carolina were deployed to assist in the medical mission. This response included the initial use of Carolinas MED-1, a mobile hospital that incorporates an emergency department, surgical suite, critical care beds, and general treatment and admitting area. This asset, along with additional state resources, provided comprehensive diagnostic and definitive patient care until the local medical infrastructure was rebuilt and functional.
The use of a mobile hospital may be advantageous for future deployments to large-scale disasters, especially when integrated with specialty teams.
aDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC
bDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC.
Address for reprints: Thomas Blackwell, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Carolinas Medical Center, PO Box 32861, Charlotte, NC 29232-2861; 704-355-8660, fax 704-355-9113
Supervising editor: Kathy J. Rinnert, MD, MPH
Funding and support: Funding for the Carolinas MED-1 Project was provided by a grant from the Metropolitan Medical Response System of the United States Department of Homeland Security.
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