Atrium Health MED-1 Mobile Hospital Deployed to Help Increase Access to Care in the Region

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 21, 2021 – The newest Atrium Health MED-1 mobile hospital will be deployed to Atrium Health Pineville to help with emergency department services. The state-of-the-art emergency department on wheels will be used to help treat less critical patients, providing added bed space during a time when hospitalizations continue to rise due to COVID-19 in the Charlotte area and around the country.

Atrium Health teams have been planning since the beginning of the pandemic for a variety of scenarios, including an increase in patients. The health system is fortunate to own two of these mobile hospitals which can be used for a number of purposes, including caring for patients when there is an increase in hospital capacity.

“After careful consideration, Atrium Health Pineville was chosen as the best use of the mobile hospital, to help make the greatest impact on our patients and the broader community we serve,” said Mike Lutes, senior vice president and South Market president for Atrium Health. “By deploying Atrium Health MED-1, we are able to create a more than 40 percent increase in emergency department capacity, which is especially important as we care for our patients and community during this pandemic.”

Patients who may need lab work, medication refills or imaging, such as X-rays, could be seen in Atrium Health MED-1. Examples include, but are not limited to, rashes, ear pain, lacerations and minor sprains. Patients seeking care will continue to go to the emergency room and will be directed by staff from there. Patients showing symptoms or who are COVID-19 positive will not be treated in the mobile hospital, but rather will follow the same COVID-Safe protocols the hospital already has in place.

“Atrium Health MED-1 has treated tens of thousands of patients, delivering the highest quality of care since day one. I am excited that our team will be able to continue to deliver critical care while the mobile hospital is deployed to Atrium Health Pineville,” said Alicia Campbell, facility executive and vice president at Atrium Health Pineville. “We are grateful and fortunate to have access to Atrium Health MED-1, as it allows us to continue to support our community’s needs through this current wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Owned by Atrium Health and based in Charlotte, Atrium Health MED-1 is a mobile hospital designed to provide comprehensive patient care at the site of a disaster, mass casualty incident or community event. Providing on-site medical care, Atrium Health MED-1 extends its mission to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing – for all.

Atrium Health MED-1 was first deployed in 2005, for nearly two months to coastal Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina, when more than 7,500 patients were treated for everything from heart attacks and strokes to serious infections. More recently, in late 2018, Atrium Health MED-1 assisted the Pender County, North Carolina, community recover after Hurricane Florence forced Pender Memorial Hospital to close temporarily. This will be the first time Atrium Health has deployed it to support one of its own facilities in the Charlotte area.

• Atrium Health MED-1 was developed in 2000 and has 14 acute care beds and a two-bed operating room.
• This unique mobile hospital includes digital X-ray, ultrasound, lab, pharmacy and much more equipment that is needed to operate an emergency department.
• Atrium Health teammates often deploy with the mobile hospital, including nurses, doctors, trauma surgeons, paramedics, certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), information services support personnel and other staff including, but not limited to, the emergency, intensive care unit and surgical departments.
• MED-1 is an acronym for Mobile Emergency Department. 

Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education and compassionate patient care. Atrium Health is an integrated, nonprofit health system with more than 70,000 teammates serving patients at 42 hospitals and more than 1,500 care locations. It provides care under the Wake Forest Baptist Health name in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, region and Atrium Health Navicent in Georgia. Atrium Health is renowned for its top-ranked pediatric, cancer and heart care, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. A recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research, Wake Forest School of Medicine is the academic core of the enterprise, including Wake Forest Innovations, which is advancing new medical technologies and biomedical discoveries. Atrium Health is also a leading-edge innovator in virtual care and mobile medicine, providing care close to home and in the home. Ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals for cancer treatment and in eight pediatric specialties, Atrium Health has also received the American Hospital Association’s Quest for Quality Prize and was the recipient of the 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Equity Award for its efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care. With a commitment to every community it serves, Atrium Health seeks to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing – for all, providing more than $2 billion per year in free and uncompensated care and other community benefits.