Mobile Hospital Operation Focus of Emergency Training
For Release #05-94
Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005
WHITEHORSE -- Representatives of Canada's Public Health Agency are in Whitehorse this week training staff from Health and Social Services and Whitehorse General Hospital on set-up and use of a 200-bed mobile hospital.
"In the event of an emergency or a disaster in the Yukon, it is the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Services to provide emergency health services, and emergency social services, as required," Health and Social Services Minister Peter Jenkins said.
"To help us do that, the Public Health Agency maintains a national emergency stockpile system. One of the items stockpiled in the Yukon is a mobile hospital," he added.
The mobile facility has 50 beds and all the standard equipment found in a regular hospital including blankets, a limited pharmaceutical supply and basic medical equipment such as x-ray and an operating theatre. The hospital can be set up in any facility large enough to accommodate it within a short time frame. Also included in the emergency stockpile are an additional 150 beds, blankets and a mobile feeding unit which could be used to accommodate people during an evacuation situation.
Public Health Agency staff are here this week refurbishing the hospital with some replacement equipment and conducting a "train the trainer" course for government staff, the hospital and Yukon College. These trainers will then be able to conduct further training courses locally as needed.
The public is invited to view the mobile hospital and other stockpiled equipment such as the mobile feeding unit on Thursday, April 14, from noon until 2 p.m. at the Thomson Centre.
"This is an amazing resource that we have available to us in the event of an emergency and it is necessary that we keep our staff current," Jenkins said.
-30-