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MedTrust Successfully Completes Its Hurricane Florence Mission
Area’s leading ambulance service provider responded to mandatory evacuation of South Carolina coastal region and to post-hurricane flooding threat
Hanahan, SC (October 1, 2018) – MedTrust Medical Transport, LLC, a premier provider of ambulance services in the Lowcountry and Pee Dee regions, has completed its support of local hospitals and other healthcare facility partners during and after Hurricane Florence. Those efforts included the mandatory evacuation of patients in advance of the storm, the return of patients to facilities/homes and the re-evacuation of a hospital in Georgetown in response to the threat of post-hurricane flooding.
“Our employees and partners undertook a monumental effort to safely move patients out of the path of Hurricane Florence,” said Josh Watts, CEO and Co-Founder of MedTrust. “The success of their efforts reflects their level of commitment and to the extensive preparations we put in place, including our Hurricane Palmetto exercise earlier this year, which in many ways mirrored what we ended up doing in a real-life setting a few months later. We also learned valuable lessons as we prepare for future Emergency Management Response requirements.”
From Monday, September 10 – when South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster ordered a mandatory evacuation, starting the next day, of all people in evacuation zones ahead of Hurricane Florence – until September 27, MedTrust and its mutual aid ground ambulance partners transported 2,577 patients, from ambulatory to critical care, via ground or air.
In order to execute this effort, MedTrust opened its Emergency Operations Center (EOC), from which it coordinated evacuations and medical transports. Staff continually communicated with MedTrust’s local hospital and other healthcare facility partners, to determine how many patients needed assistance, in what fashion, and how best to transport them in a timely manner in advance of the arrival of the storm.
Along with more than 80 ground vehicles, including ambulances, wheelchair vans/buses and passenger buses, MedTrust utilized 10 aircraft to support its efforts. MedTrust secured ground resources from other states, including New Jersey, Indiana, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.
“Our team was able to meet the challenge presented by this storm through effective planning, communication and coordination of resources,” said Corey Martin, MedTrust Director of Innovative Services and Incident Commander of the EOC during Hurricane Florence. “While this required a lot of improvisation, we met our goal of safely evacuating all patients from our partner facilities in advance of the storm.”
In response to growing concerns about flooding, MedTrust was called upon to re-evacuate Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital on Sunday, September 23, with patients moving on Monday/Tuesday. This required the transport of all inpatients in the facility, as well as admissions from the ER. Patients were taken to Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital in nearby Murrells Inlet and will stay there until the floodwaters recede.
Following completion of its contractual obligations to our facilities, MedTrust also made its resources available to the state of South Carolina to assist with evacuation of other facilities, at the state’s request.
Photos and video of some of MedTrust’s vehicle fleet can be found here.
About MedTrust Medical Transport
MedTrust Medical Transport is the fastest growing ambulance company in South Carolina serving the Lowcountry and the Grand Strand of South Carolina. Every day our Vision of Improving Patient Outcomes Through Excellence in Mobile Healthcare guides our trained paramedics (over 40% Critical Care credentialed), EMTs, and other professionals working together to transport more than 30,000 patients each year in critical, emergent and non-emergent situations. More than 25 healthcare facilities and four hospital systems entrust their patients to MedTrust. Headquartered in Hanahan with additional offices and bases in Moncks Corner, Walterboro, Georgetown, Murrells Inlet, Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach, MedTrust supports many community organizations and provides onsite and mobile medical support for local professional and college athletic events.
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