81st MDG response center receives upgrades

Published Nov. 8, 2012
By Steve Pivnick
81st Medical Group Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The 81st Medical Group's command, control, communications nerve-center for responding to emergencies or disasters - the Medical Control Center - has received several upgrades.
Used for the first time during the medical group's Oct. 26 medical exercise and again on the Oct. 31, 81st Training Wing's Combined Unit Inspection major accident response exercise, the Medical Control Center's new equipment enhanced its capabilities.

Robert Tash, 81st Medical Support Squadron medical emergency manager, remarked, "The enhancements help the MCC staff meet their and the medical group's mission requirements. The MCC is essential to the success of our contingency response operations."

Among the equipment the MCC has received and is now using are a new base station radio with 25 watts of communication power, video surveillance, global positioning system software tracking capability of all group vehicles plus accident and cordon plotting capability, automated tools allowing real-time recall reporting and obtaining contact details for the entire group staff.

Wireless laptops available to the MCC staff offer a Web-based system that can be used by the MDG's disaster teams as well as for patient care.

Maj. Reginald Sennie, 81st Medical Support Squadron Medical Information Flight commander, explained, "The laptops are mobile and have an internal chip set that provides access to cellular networks. They also have CAC readers. The MCC staff has them in their 'bug-out bags' used if they have to relocate to another site. The laptops allow them to do what they need to do."