Ashley County Medical Center was recently selected to house one of four mobile hospital trailers in Arkansas.
“We are privileged to house one of four mobile hospital trailers in the state of Arkansas,” said Phillip Gilmore, CEO of Ashley County Medical Center. “Having this piece of equipment is vital to our region. We never know when a disaster will hit, but we can do all we can to try and be prepared in case one happens. Having this mobile hospital will allow any hospital in the region and state to still provide medical care if their facility is damaged or inoperable.”
In 2014, the seven regions of the Arkansas Hospital Preparedness Program jointly purchased three mobile hospital trailers and recently purchased a fourth to be housed at ACMC. In event of a disaster and a hospital’s structure receives damage and rendered inoperable, inhabitable, or is overwhelmed, the mobile hospital can be used as an alternate or secondary facility.
The mobile hospital is a 20-bed mobile unit. It has an inflatable structure with electricity and oxygen supplied at each bed. The system can be interconnected with the other three in the state to create a larger 80-bed setup if needed. The systems do not include pharmaceuticals or diagnostic equipment, although a reserve of mobile diagnostic equipment is accessible that can be deployed alongside the mobile hospital trailers if needed.
These mobile hospital trailers are jointly shared between all of the state hospitals but housed in different regions for faster activation when needed. Little Rock, Jonesboro, and Fayetteville house the other three mobile hospital trailers in the state.
