Carolinas MED-1 to house a clinic for residents to get H1N1 Flu shots

Carolinas MED-1 - the first mobile hospital of its kind in the world - will be serving the people of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County when it is deployed this Saturday for an H1N1 vaccine clinic.

This is the first time Carolinas MED-1 has been operational in Mecklenburg County. In other deployments it has been used to provide medical care to Hurricane Katrina victims and in the flood-ravaged Midwest. It was developed and is owned by Carolinas Medical Center.

On Saturday, January 9, under an agreement with the Mecklenburg County Health Department, Carolinas MED-1 will house a clinic for residents to get H1N1 Flu shots outside Eastland Mall.

"We're really excited," said Dr. Tom Blackwell, an Emergency Medicine Specialist at CMC and creator of Carolinas MED-1. "We have made a difference in the lives of more than 10,000 people but have never had the opportunity to help residents in Mecklenburg County. To provide a facility where our neighbors can come and get flu shots is an honor."

Built inside a 53-foot trailer, Carolinas MED-1 was conceived in 2000 as an answer to medical needs that might follow a natural disaster or other unforeseen events. The Emergency Care Unit (750 sq. ft), comprising two slide-out pods, is an 11-bed critical care unit and emergency department. Each of the first 4 beds has full ICU capabilities including invasive and noninvasive cardiovascular monitoring, blood pressure monitoring, portable ventilators, and IV pumps. The remainder of the unit consists of seven general emergency beds and one dental/eye-ear-nose-and-throat chair.

A two-bed operating room fills a third pod and is fully equipped with anesthesia, surgical lights and supplies for emergency life-saving or minor surgery. It doubles as a shock/resuscitation facility.

Working with the Mecklenburg County Health Department, MED-1 clinical staff from Carolinas Medical Center will administer the injections.

SOURCE Carolinas HealthCare System