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Civilian applications

Civilian applications

TransHospital’s dual-use mobile medical care capabilities have been proven in civilian deployments, which include U.S. Gulf Coast hurricane relief and recovery efforts after a major tsunami in Southeast Asia.

A TransHospital rescue center treated more than 4,500 patients during a month-long operation in Long Beach, Mississippi during 2005, providing high-quality medical care in the wake of U.S. Gulf Coast devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Dale C. Betterton, M.D. performs a checkup in the TransHospital rescue center during post-hurricane recovery assistance provided by his International Medical Alliance.

This facility was a two-shelter TransHospital configuration, incorporating a fully-outfitted operating room and storage unit for support equipment and supplies. It operated autonomously, using its own 60 kVA power supply and 220-gallon tanks for fresh water generation/supply and wastewater collection.

Loaned to the non-profit International Medical Alliance through an EADS/German government initiative, the TransHospital rescue center handled patient treatment ranging from inoculations to minor surgeries. 

"TransHospital was a godsend, and it made a real difference in how we were able to help those whose lives were turned upside down by the hurricanes," explained Dale C. Betterton, M.D., a former U.S. Army Green Beret who runs the International Medical Alliance with his wife, retired nurse practitioner Dorothy Davidson.

Betterton said nearly 190 surgical procedures were performed in the mobile hospital for injuries sustained during hurricane clean-up activity. These injuries ranged from lacerations suffered in the use of chainsaws to broken bones and puncture wounds caused by nails in the debris of houses and buildings.

In addition to the medical support, TransHospital became a symbol of how outside donations were used effectively to help a population hard-hit by the back-to-back 2005 hurricanes in the U.S. Gulf Coast. "The TransHospital's presence became a very positive factor for the community here," said Dorothy Davidson. "We had a steady flow of visitors who wanted to see the mobile hospital in operation, and to hear how we were using it to help ease the community's pain and suffering."

Another TransHospital unit was sent by EADS to Indonesia following the 2005 tsunami in Southeast Asia, where the unit continues to provide daily medical support for a refugee camp.