Hamilton County - Cincinnati, Ohio recognized the need to prepare for the potential of providing mass casualty patient care for its citizens during a disaster situation. The Alternative Care Center is an asset that can be deployed at the onset of any bioterrorism attack or other major emergency incident if it appears that large numbers of casualties might overwhelm the county's existing medical capabilities. With at least 210 beds of inpatient care available, the modular field hospital is thought to have the largest portable civilian emergency medical capacity in the nation.
This additional patient surge capacity for the Tri-state (Ohio Kentucky Indiana) Region has been funded as part of the Homeland Security Agency's Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) and will support the Hospital Resource and Services Administration's (HRSA) guidelines for surge capacity.
The Hamilton County Alternative Care Center consists of 24 individual modules that can be integrated to each other in a single, environmentally-controlled field hospital with a 210-bed capacity. The modules can also be deployed as multiple 3-shelter Wings with up to 30 beds each. Should an incident grow beyond the initial field hospital capacity, other modules can be connected to provide a virtually unlimited response capability.
While the portable medical facilities can function in a variety of healthcare capacities, the intent of the Hamilton County Alternative Care Center is to provide triage, acute care, and inpatient treatment to victims who need varying degrees of life-saving technology during a disaster situation.
Depending on the complexity of the deployment, the first modules can be erected in just a few hours without the assistance of lift trucks, ladders, or tools by a core command team. Western Shelter System's GateKeeper portable medical facilities were chosen because of Western Shelter's interoperability as a primary provider of emergency shelters to Federal, State, and County disaster and medical response teams.
"The Western Shelter has provided Hamilton County - Cincinnati, Ohio an important component of our concept to provide the existing healthcare infrastructure the physical resources to minimize the effects of the surge of casualties and worried well following a disaster situation," said Michael Ottaway, Emergency Response Coordinator, Southwest Ohio Region, Hamilton County General Health District.
Existing response teams and their emergency shelters can be quickly integrated into the Hamilton County Alternative Care Center should the need arise to further expand the patient capacity of the system. Western Shelter's octagonal-shaped system uses standardized components to make it uniquely scaleable.
Western Shelters do not resemble the canvas M.A.S.H hospital tents from the '50s. Medical shelter technology has advanced considerably. Patients and staff remain comfortable in its clean, climate-controlled, and safe medical environment.
Aircraft-grade, lightweight aluminum frameworks provide maximum usable floor space, while allowing medical equipment to be suspended from roof and wall beams. Sophisticated temperature-control, fully self-contained hygiene centers with toilet and shower facilities, integrated electrical and water distribution systems, and a full array of logistical support equipment are engineered to ensure Western Shelters remain functional for the duration of the emergency.
As healthcare and emergency organizations across the country grapple with the issue of how to respond to a mass casualty event that exceeds existing hospital's capacities, Hamilton County - Cincinnati, Ohio has made the commitment to its community to be able to immediately deploy at least an additional 210 patient beds, when and where they are needed.
Questions of Hamilton County should be directed to the Public Relations Division (Paula Smith) at 513-946-7808.
Additional background: Since 1988, Western Shelter has been producing innovative logistical products for those that work in difficult and often dangerous environments. Their equipment is supporting field operations around the world in disaster response, wildland fire incidents, military endeavors, crime scene investigations, and remote construction projects. Western Shelters are standard components in every FEMA and Forest Service equipment cache in the U.S. "Quality By Design. Design By Experience."
For further information: Contact Peter Powell, Marketing Director Western Shelter Systems 830 Wilson Street, Eugene, Oregon 97402 USA Telephone: 1-800-971-7201 or 1-541-344-7267 Fax: 1-541-284-2820 Cell: 1-541-729-2689 Email: Ppowell@WesternShelter.com Website: www.WesternShelter.com