For more information contact: Boonshoft School of Medicine, Judi Engle, Office of Public Relations, (937) 775-2951

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2007

Levin Family Foundation and Kettering Medical Center
Donate Van to Establish HOPE Unit

Dayton, Ohio—The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine is the recipient of a generous donation from the Levin Family Foundation and the Kettering Medical Center. A 44-foot mobile medical van and funds for its conversion have been given to the Homeland Emergency Learning and Preparedness Center (H.E.L.P.Center) within the Department of Emergency Medicine.

Once converted, the vehicle will become a mobile Healthcare Operations and Preparedness Education (HOPE) mobile command unit for the center and the region. The mobile unit will be a custom-designed, state-of-the-art emergency response vehicle, serving as a medical command facility for emergency medical or public health incidents throughout homeland security region III of the State of Ohio. Area health departments, hospitals, and the Modular Emergency Medical Systems response team may use this unit wherever they go—whenever people need help.

At other times, the unit will serve as a medical training facility using high fidelity human patient simulators. This will allow faculty from the Department of Emergency Medicine to take this state-of-the-art training to medical facilities across Ohio, especially to the more rural settings.

The HOPE unit will include the following features:

Map stations
Communications room: computer access, printer, scanner, satellite telephones and FAX
Work Stations: six work areas each supporting two phone lines, modems, and laptop computers
Conference/policy room: cellular phone jacks, TV/VCR capabilities
Human patient simulation lab module
Mobile classroom

“Coordinating a major emergency or disaster requires the close coordination of all departments and agencies that are involved in mitigating an incident,” explains Mark E. Gebhart, M.D., director of the H.E.L.P. Center and an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Boonshoft School of Medicine. For this coordination to be effective, key decision-making on management options, developing operational strategies, managing resources, and providing direction to field forces must all be located in one central location, which is where the HOPE mobile unit will be invaluable.

The HOPE mobile unit will also provide a means of delivering education innovations to the entire medical community in our area. “High fidelity patient simulation models have provided our students and residents with the opportunity to develop and practice a full spectrum of clinical skills in a controlled, no-fault environment,” says Raymond P. Ten Eyck, M.D., M.P.H., simulation center director and an associate professor of emergency medicine.

“The Levin Family Foundation fully supports the efforts of the H.E.L.P. Center and we know that donating the mobile unit to this organization is in the best interest of the Miami Valley,” states Karen Levin, foundation director. “The foundation originally gave the Wellness on Wheels van to Kettering Medical Center to provide care for the medically underserved in Montgomery County. It served this purpose well for 10 years. However, when the decision was made to discontinue this program, everyone wanted to make sure that this valuable resource would be reinvested within the Dayton community.”

“This donation is a strategic investment in the development of our State’s emergency medical response capabilities, as well as continuing medical education efforts.” says Gebhart.

For more information contact the Homeland Emergency Learning and Preparedness Center at (937) 775-1320.

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