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State Medical Assistance Teams The ability for North Carolina to respond to the medical needs of those affected by natural and man-made disasters has greatly increased over the past five years. During the past two decades, more than 3,100 deaths and 4,100 injuries have been reported due to acts of domestic terrorism. Most notably were the attacks of September 11, 2001. North Carolina has taken great strides in streamlining and improving its ability to respond to the medical needs of its citizens in order to be better prepared for unexpected emergencies of this nature. The Capital RAC’s SMAT program is a part of North Carolina’s plan to improve disaster preparedness efforts. Numerous local, state, and regional agencies have collaborated to form a tiered system called the State Medical Response System (SMRS). Four North Carolina agencies have joined efforts to focus on the treatment and response phase of natural and man-made disasters. These agencies include the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services (NCOEMS); the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management (NCEM); the North Carolina Division of Public Health - Office of Public Health Preparedness & Response (PHP&R); and the Special Operations Response Team (SORT). These agencies represent the core systems responsible for coordinating a disaster response, ensuring that treatment and prevention strategies are in place, and ensuring the appropriate levels of disease surveillance and medical preparedness. The agencies have collaborated to develop the following tiered State Medical Response System (SMRS) plan: Type I (State Level): State Medical Assistance Team I (SMAT I) or Special Operations Response Team (SORT) is a private, non-profit organization located in Winston-Salem. This organization is a federally supported Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) that responds to events nationwide. The Type I initiative will expand the equipment and personnel of SORT, which provides a dedicated set of equipment for response to incidences in North Carolina if federal committed resources are not available. Type II (Regional Level): State Medical Assistance Team II (SMAT II) focuses on hospital-based capabilities (medical surgical capabilities). Each county and hospital in North Carolina is included in at least one of eight Regional Advisory Committees (RACs). One function of this committee is to create a Disaster Planning Committee (DPC) to facilitate the planning and communication of first responders and first receivers (hospitals) by developing a regional disaster plan to improve the utilization of information and resources during an actual event. The SMAT program is hosted by each RAC. This team is responsible for responding to the treatment and surge capacities needs for the region and State by providing mobile medical and decontamination resources in the event of a disaster. Each team houses a standardized mobile package that includes the basic equipment needed for a response. These teams are primarily funded through the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). Type III (Local Level): State Medical Assistance Team III (SMAT III), is county-based and often is the first to respond to an event. These teams are pre-hospital disaster teams that are highly mobile and respond to the mass disaster and decontamination needs of its County and region. Each team houses a standardized mobile package that includes the basic equipment needed for a response. These teams are primarily funded through Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR).
North Carolina State Regional Response Hazmat Teams (RRT) |
