MDA uses ambulance bus to evacuate nine from southern Israel nursing home
The transferal of the nursing home residents would have otherwise needed nine ambulances to perform said task.
By ZACHARY KEYSERMDA uses ambulance bus to evacuate nine from southern Israel nursing home(photo credit: MAGEN DAVID ADOM)Magen David Adom (MDA) used one of its new intensive care ambulance buses, when they were called in to evacuate nine residents diagnosed with coronavirus from a nursing home in southern Israel on Friday.The buses, first introduced in mid-May, are converted city buses that have the ability to transport and treat up to thirteen patients at a time. Two are able to be positioned lying in beds within the center of the bus, while eleven others are put in the back.MDA uses ambulance bus to evacuate nine from southern Israel nursing home. (Magen David Adom)Additionally, the bus is fully equipped with intensive care equipment, sirens and an advanced communication system to enable MDA medical staff in different wings of the bus to keep in contact with one another, as well as MDA central command.There are also cameras for the driver and attending paramedics to monitor the separate sections of the bus. Cameras are also connected to the MDA Medical Dispatch Center, so doctors and senior paramedics from the 101 hotline can monitor what's going on in the vehicle, and advise the field team if necessary.The transferal of the nursing home residents would have otherwise needed nine ambulances to perform said task.MDA uses ambulance bus to evacuate nine from southern Israel nursing home. (Magen David Adom)"As the national EMS organization of the State of Israel, MDA teams spend days and nights in developing means for saving lives and provide medical response efficiently and quickly. We will continue to face every challenge at any time and wherever it is needed."With regard to safety, the bus is separated into three sections - all built independent of one another - with each section segregated by an opaque divider. Therefore, in the case the bus is carrying an infectious patient, the driver would have no need to wear PPE equipment.MDA uses ambulance bus to evacuate nine from southern Israel nursing home. (Magen David Adom)In relation to the coronavirus spread and the spread of other infectious diseases, the bus contains a state-of-the-art oxygen filtration system that can replace all the air within the vehicle in seven minutes. Additionally, there are no cloth surfaces throughout the vehicle, so everything is able to be conveniently wiped down and disinfected after each ambulance run.As far as the setup goes, there are two beds located in the center of the vehicle - to which two MDA paramedics are assigned - complete with advanced life support equipment systems, such as defibrillators that can perform ECGs as well as automated chest compression units.In the back of the bus, there are eleven seats for transferring patients in stable or light condition. Their section is also fitted with television screens to help pass the time.Within the back of the vehicle, above each of the eleven patient seats, there are oxygen taps fed by four large oxygen tanks connected to a system located in the front of the bus. Additionally, there are two refrigerators designed for storing blood and medicines, as well as waterproof V230 power outlets so that MDA staff may remotely connect devices such as ventilators, incubators, etc.
