The BC Mobile Medical Unit is maintained in a state of readiness.
The unit is available to be called upon in the event of a natural disaster or other unplanned emergency that requires space, medical equipment, or health-care providers, or as a replacement of a damaged health-care facility.
Throughout the year, the MMU also travels on a planned basis to urban, rural, and remote areas of the province delivering a broad range of services.
Where possible, the unit and team ‘bundle’ multiple roles in a single deployment, maximizing the value the unit and team provide to the health authority they’re visiting.
Bundling is an important practice for the MMU team, instilling the flexibility and confidence to quickly transition between varying levels of clinical care while allowing the host health authority and site to get the maximum value for the deployment.
For example, in October 2015 the MMU traveled to Vancouver Island for eight days, where it was used to:
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host an outreach clinic for the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations communities to treat patients with allergies and respiratory concerns; and
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provide disaster education training to more than 60 participants including health-care staff from Victoria General Hospital, local first responders, the Department of National Defence and medical residents, nurses and students.
The MMU works in five main areas.
The MMU can serve as a valuable temporary care facility for hospitals and health centres undergoing renovations.
The MMU offers a comfortable and modern space that outreach clinicians can adapt to make their own in order to provide the best possible care for their patients.
A self-sufficient resource, the MMU is on-call 24/7 as a provincial health emergency resource
The MMU is available for integration with medical service plans at events throughout the province that attract large groups of people. These may include sporting events and festivals.
The MMU provides a broad range of customized medical education each and every time it leaves the warehouse.
The MMU publishes its recent publications and presentations.
