Medical preparedness contracts cover mobile hospitals in two states

To meet emergency preparedness needs, officials in Idaho and New York awarded contacts to Kirkland, Wash.-based BLU-MED Response Systems, a div. of Alaska Structures Inc.

The first contract, which covers three Rapidly Deployable Medical Response Systems, was awarded by the Idaho Central District Health Department. This contract includes customized BLU-MED deployable medical shelters, HVAC and electrical systems, generators and ancillary support units.

In addition to the portable medical shelters and equipment, BLU-MED will provide training and technical support services for the Central District Health Department in Idaho, beginning early 2008. The state-of-the-art BLU-MED shelter systems will be used to boost medical surge capacity in the event of pandemic influenza, bioterrorism or other mass-casualty incidents.

The second contract, awarded by the Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services agency, is for two Rapidly Deployable Medical Response Systems. Suffolk County will have access to BLU-MED’s RapidSurge Systems, by which full-scale emergency medical shelters have been upgraded with negative pressure isolation capacity, a decontamination system and a complete latrine package.

“These systems will offer great flexibility in meeting both Idaho's and Suffolk County's public health needs in a disaster or emergency," said Gerrit Boyle, president of BLU-MED Response Systems. "They can be utilized to provide space for hospital surge capacity, medical isolation and large scale immunizations, as well as extra capacity for triage and evaluation at the scene of an incident."

The new BLU-MED Response contracts will add Idaho and Suffolk County, N.Y., to a growing list of states, counties and municipalities that are improving their preparedness for large-scale public health emergencies. "We are pleased to assist these government agencies in their strategies to build a tangible system of deployable assets for medical preparedness," Boyle said.

BLU-MED facilities can be configured and customized to meet a variety of emergency management and public health needs of state and local governments. Modular options include medical surge wards, patient treatment, decontamination, immunization/drug distribution, negative pressure isolation and field laboratories.

For more information about BLU-MED’s product line, visit http://www.blu-med.com/.