Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Form Disaster Medical Team

Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont have formed a specialized disaster medical assistance team to respond to disasters in the region.

The 56-member team has expertise in emergency and wilderness medicine, toxicology, pharmacology, respiratory therapy, orthopedics and radiological protection, among other fields.

Dubbed NH-1, the team operates within the National Disaster Medical System and is overseen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Robert Gougelet from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth calls it “a core group of people who can work in intense austere environments.”

The National Disaster Medical System, which includes 7,000 volunteers nationwide, was established in 1983 to provide medical response, patient evacuation and medical care.