CapRAC is currently undertaking an evacuation project with long term care and assisted living facilities in the region to assist in their preparedness efforts. Working closely with local emergency management, CapRAC has identified several large facilities in Franklin and Harnett Counties to receive grant-funded evacuation devices and training over the next several weeks. The CapRAC Logistics and Training Specialist, Steve Harrison, will provide device training to facility staff and to local EMS agency personnel. Johnston, Lee and Wake Counties will also receive evacuation devices and training during the current grant year. For more information, please contact Steve Harrison.
Month: December 2017
CapRAC Strategic Planning Workday
The CapRAC Healthcare Coalition held a Strategic Planning Workday on September 29th. Coalition partners came together to review the ASPR Healthcare Coalition Deliverable Assessment Factors and to determine the priorities for our region for the upcoming 5-year preparedness grant cycle. The group was able to come to a consensus on an overall priority roadmap for the Coalition. The regional staff would like to thank everyone that participated and offered their feedback. Check back for the detailed plan to be posted shortly.
Duke SMAT responds during Hurricane Matthews
The aftermath of Hurricane Matthew was difficult enough for people in the hard-hit Goldsboro area who lost their homes due to flooding, or whose electrical power was disrupted. But for those with chronic medical care needs – people on oxygen, diabetics on insulin, elderly needing home care for feeding or bandage management, and others – the challenge of being displaced from their homes was even greater, and potentially life-threatening………
Duke SMAT 400 Conducts first bi-monthly Training session of the new year
The New Year started off on a very positive note for the Duke State Medical Assistance Team. The first bi monthly Team training of 2017 began with 16 team members in attendance. Our two focal points were building our capability logistically and enhancing our understanding of the differing influences on patient triage. Our team now has a total 9 members that are certified to function in our warehouse as forklift operators. For those of you that know the configuration of our medical supplies, that is a major benefit when managing a deployment of assets. As our logistics staff were learning the safe operation of our equipment, with the assistance of one of our more experienced Registered Nurses, our medical staff learned about our differing missions and how patient triage in a trauma scenario differs from that of a patient being accepted into a State Medical Support Shelter or in the event of an evacuation from a medical facility.
Our next meeting will be conducted on March 16th as part of a full scale exercise to include players from local, State and Federal partners. This exercise will test the ability to manage a large influx of patients during a State and Federal Evacuation in response to a hurricane. Our role will be to assist with patient management at Raleigh Durham Airport for the National Disaster Medical System and will test some of the triage principles that we reviewed this month. Thank you to all of those who attended for making Saturday morning a success.
