ST. PAUL, Minn., May 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Allina Medical Transportation has established a hospital-based Special Response Team (SRT) dedicated to responding to acts of terrorism or disasters, either natural or man-made. In support of these efforts, Allina received a $50,000 training grant through Minnesota’s Homeland Security Emergency Management from the Office of Domestic Preparedness. Following the events of 9/11, Allina recognized the importance of a specialized team that could respond to chemical and biological incidents. Additionally, Allina’s SRT will be trained in firefighter rehabilitation for long term events.
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“In addition to our preparations for acts of terrorism using chemical and biological agents, we did not want to ignore the potential of other chemical events that could occur,” said Allina Medical Transportation’s Emergency Manager, Jeff Lanenberg. “Currently, there are more than 80,000 registered chemicals for use in commerce in the United States, and an estimated 2,000 new chemicals introduced annually.” According to Lanenberg, a large number of these substances include general industrial chemicals, household cleaners, and lawn care products. “A number of these chemicals are known to pose a significant risk to human health,” said Lanenberg. “It is critical that we have individuals trained in the pre-hospital setting to identify and deal with the health effects of these agents.”
Throughout the three-day training, members of Allina’s Special Response Team, along with members from HCMC Emergency Medical Services will learn how to treat individuals affected by chemical and biological agents, as well as industrial chemical agents.
Unique to this training is the use of a high-tech mannequin valued at more than $200,000 dollars. The full body mannequin, flown in from Texas A & M University, replicates the human body. It breathes, has a heartbeat and mimics the signs and symptoms of chemical exposure on humans. The training is provided by the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center.
Following training, Allina’s Special Response Team will have the ability to:
-- Recognize signs of chemical exposure, toxicological illness, radioactive and biological agents; -- Render appropriate treatment for nerve agent and general industrial chemical exposures; -- Recommend decontamination procedures for affected patients; -- Serve as a point of reference for toxicological issues should an incident occur; and -- Provide support and rehabilitation services for police and fire.
Allina Medical Transportation meets the EMS, dispatch and special medical transport needs of more than 75 Minnesota communities in Anoka, part of Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Ramsey, Rice, Scott, Sherburne and Wright counties. Allina Medical Transportation is part of Minneapolis-based Allina Hospitals & Clinics, a non-profit health care system of hospitals, clinics and other patient care services that provides exceptional care to communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin and employs more than 22,000 people. Allina Hospitals & Clinics facilities, services and jobs can be found online at http://www.allina.com/ . Allina Medical Transportation can be found online at http://www.allinaems.com/ and the latest health information is at http://www.medformation.com/ .
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CONTACT: Chris Lindquist of Allina Medical Transportation,+1-612-775-9737, or pager, +1-612-589-7722
