Surge Hospital Enhances Preparedness for North Texas
01/08/2007
Click to listen to the taped broadcast.
I’m Doug Hawthorne, president and CEO of Texas Health Resources, with “The Business of Heath Care Report.”
A report released in December 2006 by The Trust for America’s Health warned that the U.S. isn't fully prepared for a major public health emergency. THR and our hospitals are helping improve emergency preparedness in North Texas.
The day the report was released, Texas Health Resources and two of our hospitals — Harris Methodist Fort Worth and Harris Methodist Northwest — unveiled the nation’s first privately-owned surge capacity hospital. Similar to a military MASH unit, it is designed to supplement an existing hospital in a mass casualty emergency.
The unit will be used to provide medical care exclusively in emergencies that could include:
- Quarantining patients with an infectious agent or communicable disease
- A biological or chemical terrorist attack
- Occurrence of a pandemic disease
This facility provides a safety net for North Texas. It is a result of these two hospitals receiving a grant of more than $441,000 from the federal government with the help of U.S. Rep. Kay Granger. THR and our other hospitals contributed an additional $235,000 from grants received from the Health Resources and Services Administration.
As the largest hospital system in North Texas, THR is taking a leadership role in strengthening emergency preparedness to protect our communities.
For Texas Health Resources and its faith-based hospitals – Harris Methodist, Presbyterian and Arlington Memorial – I’m Doug Hawthorne.
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