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.