In the aftermath of hurricane Charlie and the damage inflicted upon Florida communities, Malibu MRC is proposing the use of Mobile Surgical Units (MSU) to meet the needs of Malibu community.
It is a sad fact that the city of Malibu does not have a single hospital or emergency room in the city limits and is separated by over 25 miles of PCH and/or canyon roads (both subject to closures due to fires, mudslides, landslides, etc) from the nearest hospital.
In case of a natural or man-made disaster of similar or larger magnitude to hurricane Charlie, the Malibu MRC-DMAT as well as DMATs that might come from outside our area simply will not have a base of operations. (Unless Dr. Fransen’s veterinarian clinic survives the destruction).
Malibu MRC has prepared a proposal and a 20-minute presentation that is available to the City Council and all residents, on how to meet Malibu community needs through the use of Mobile Surgical Unit (MSU).
A mobile surgery unit provides on-site emergency and triage care in the event of a disaster. The unit can be stored in a protected location and can be quickly transported and deployed at the disaster site to provide immediate on-site care. Utilizing a unit that exists in a community is the ideal solution to meeting both disaster reaction and rural health care needs of Malibu.
Our “Mobile Surgical Solution for Malibu Community needs” presentation will be available on www.MalibuMRC.org website in the near future.
Victor S. Dorodny,
M.D., Ph.D., MPH
Founder & Chief Medical Officer Malibu MRC