Ferrell Hospital ready to assist with disasters

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Ferrell Hospital in Eldorado is now ready to assist in the field should a disaster strike southeastern Illinois.

The hospital just acquired a trailer from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency stocked with supplies that will enable nurses and doctors to set up a mobile unit in a very short time. Medical personnel could triage patients, do basic field work and get people ready for transport from a major disaster scene, according to Lisa Anderson, registered nurse and director of emergency preparedness for Ferrell Hospital.

For example, the trailer could be sent to a flood scene, a major fire or a tornado like the one that struck Galatia a few years ago, Anderson said.

"I foresee us using it more for a flood or tornado, something like that," Anderson said.

The trailer includes cots and back boards, lighting, generators -- just about anything that could be needed in the field. There is even a Ham radio in case cellular towers are down, Anderson said.

"We can decontaminate people, it has a shower, cots, emergency lighting, tents," Anderson said.

At first blush, decontamination in the field sounds like something that wouldn't be very useful in southeastern Illinois. But an anhydrous ammonia explosion or mishap on the Texas Eastern Pipeline, for instance, could include chemical contamination, Anderson said.

The trailer could be sent anywhere in IEMA Region 5 on orders from Carbondale Memorial Hospital, Anderson said. Carbondale Memorial Hospital is the command center for Region 5, which is the region south of Interstate 64.

The trailer, which can be pulled by a truck, was funded entirely by grants. The equipment that did not come with the trailer was paid for with a different grant.