Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Emergency Management Agency. NDMS orga-
nizes 7000 health care volunteers in locally spon-
sored specialty teams that become federalized
upon activation. The second resource is the Public
Health Service Commissioned Corps headed by
the surgeon general. The corps consists of roughly
6000 physicians, nurses, pharmacists, allied health
care workers, dentists, scientists, computer special-
ists, and other officers available to offer health
care—related expertise in times of war or national
emergencies.
Local medical, nursing, and allied health care
students can also help provide care in times
of need. In addition, the American Red Cross,
temporary medical staffing agencies, and volunteer
programs, such as AmeriCorps and SeniorCorps,
provide medical personnel and volunteers to health
care organizations during emergencies.
Education of the existing hospital staff is also
important and involves the following areas: better
disaster-response awareness, improved skills, an
understanding of roles and responsibilities, more
effective communication, and experience in coop-
erating with other staff members as well as
personnel from outside agencies and organiza-
tions during emergencies. Strengthening emer-
gency training programs fortifies preparedness, but
the skills most valuable during a disaster are those
practiced by staff every day.
center may need to consider equipment rental or
leasing options.
The experience of the medical teams that set
up the surge hospitals in Louisiana and Texas
following the hurricanes was that the Strategic
National Stockpile may not be able to deliver
needed medical goods for several days during
emergencies of extreme magnitude. In such emer-
gencies, hospitals and medical centers may have
to order equipment from local suppliers or request
donated items from physician offices, medical
schools, local armories, medical supply houses,
and other sources. This fact underscores the value
of establishing partnerships with such organiza-
tions in advance to accelerate the procurement of
supplies in an emergency.
Surge facility pharmaceutical procurement can
be more problematic than that of disposable equip-
ment and supplies because of the legal require-
ments surrounding the prescription, storage, and
preparation of medications. Ordering drugs could
pose a problem if the surge facility does not
have preexisting contracts with pharmaceutical
suppliers. One way of handling this problem is
to have a sponsoring hospital or other health
care organization order medications for the surge
hospital. Another option is for a hospital to estab-
lish an advance contract with a pharmaceutical
distributor that would be implemented only in an
emergency. If possible, the number of supplies held
in inventory at the surge hospital should be suffi-
cient to last at least three days per patient.
Medical supplies and equipment
A number of options exist to acquire the needed
beds, medical supplies, and equipment in a time of
crisis. The Strategic National Stockpile, a program
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), maintains large quantities of medications
and medical supplies, such as airway maintenance,
IV maintenance, and medical surgical items to
be used in public health emergencies including
infectious disease outbreaks, natural disasters,
and manmade disasters. Needed medicines and
supplies can be delivered free of charge to any state
as part of this program. Each state is then respon-
sible for distributing supplies to local communities.
To respond to this additional need, the medical
Leaders in charge of establishing and
operating surge hospitals
It is vital that the leaders who have integral roles
in establishing and maintaining surge hospitals are
visible within the community and ensure consis-
tency in the way surge hospitals operate. The
intent of setting up the surge hospital is to demon-
strate to stricken communities that the medical
community will continue to take care of the ill
and injured. In this role, the leaders of the state
are key. Advance planning for emergency events
is crucial in enabling them to project consistency
and to protect and enhance the public trust. To
