HHS Medical Response Teams to Administer H1N1 Vaccine

NY-2 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) will assist the Delaware Health and Social Services Division of Public Health in vaccinating up to 3,000 high-risk residents Nov. 20-22.

The eight-person team of EMTs, paramedics and nurses will deploy to Delaware this week to assist the state's Health and Social Services Division of Public Health in the vaccination of 3,000 people who are at highest risk for H1N1, including infants and young children, pregnant women and individuals with chronic conditions.

The New York group is one of 15 vaccination teams from around the county trained by the National Disaster Medical System to respond to requests for federal assistance in delivering mass H1N1 vaccines. NY-2 is the first of these teams to be deployed.

A Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) is a group of professional medical personnel (supported by a cadre of logistical and administrative staff) designed to provide medical care during a disaster or other event as part of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) under the direction of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. When deployed for the federal government, DMAT members respond as intermittent federal employees.

Teams are activated when a state requests federal assistance with an emergency and respond to national emergencies as intermittent federal employees.

NY-2 is a Type-1 DMAT, meaning they must be ready to respond anywhere in the continental United States within twelve hours and remain self-sufficient with enough food, water, equipment and medication to provide austere medical care for up to 200 patients a day for 72 hours.

The team includes doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, paramedics, EMTs, mental health and technical support specialists, all specially trained to render medical aid to disaster victims.

DMATs have recently responded to large-scale disasters, including the Red River Basin floods in 2009, Hurricanes Ike and Gustav in 2008, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005; the Florida hurricanes of 2004; Hurricane Isabel in September 2003; the Bam, Iran earthquake in December 2003 and the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. NDMS teams have also been deployed to support the G8 Summit, the Presidential Inauguration and National Republican and Democratic Conventions.

DMATs are also a community resource available to support local, regional, and state requirements. Each DMAT in its state or local support role has a sponsoring organization, such as a major medical center, public health or safety agency, non-profit, public or private organization, supporting the team's non-federal activities. NY-2 is sponsored by the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY.

DMATs, in their federal role, are sponsored only by the federal government.

For more information on DMAT teams, the National Disaster Medical System or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, go to: https://www.hhs.gov/aspr/opeo/ndms/teams/dmat.html. For more on the NY-2 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, visit www.dmatny2.org.