Carolinas MED-1, a mobile emergency department owned by Carolinas HealthCare System, has deployed to Southeastern Regional Medical Center (SRMC) in Lumberton, NC. Carolinas MED-1 is a first of its kind facility that was developed following 9/11 to respond to disaster situations. SRMC, a part of Southeastern Health, has been experiencing power and water difficulties in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. Media is invited to tour the facility and interview members of the MED-1 team and officials from SRMC and Southeastern Health.
1:00 – 3:00 p.m., Friday, October 14, 2016 at Southeastern Regional Medical Center, 300 West 27th St., Lumberton, NC 28359
Carolinas MED-1 consists of two 53-foot tractor-trailers, one serving as the patient care facility, the other as a support and equipment storage unit. By expanding three “pods” on the hospital trailer, 1000 sq. ft. of patient acute care space totaling 14 beds is available.
The Emergency Care Unit is an 11-bed critical care unit and emergency department. The first 4 beds each have full ICU capabilities. One of the 4 critical care beds has additional pediatric life support equipment and supplies. The remainder of the unit consists of seven general emergency beds and one dental/ear-nose-and-throat chair. A two-bed operating room is fully equipped with anesthesia, surgical lights and supplies for emergency life-saving or minor surgery.
Previous Carolinas MED-1 deployments include Waveland, MS, in 2005 and New Orleans in 2006 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and Columbus Regional Health in Columbus, IN, in 2008 following Midwestern floods. In 2014, the unit also supported Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde, NC, after a fire incapacitated the hospital.
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