Hospital Disaster Support Communications System
Our Mission:
Supporting communications that are critical to patient care
The Hospital Disaster Support Communications System (HDSCS) is a group of about 80 Amateur Radio ("ham") operators who have volunteered to provide backup internal and external communications for critical medical facilities in Orange County, California whenever normal communications are interrupted for any reason. In 2010, HDSCS celebrated its 30th year of service.
HDSCS was formally
organized in 1980 at the request of hospitals in north Orange County who hold drills
together each year for disaster preparedness. It came about as the result of a
phone outage at a large hospital in Fullerton in 1979 and the impressive
response of Amateur Radio operators to that emergency. Beginning with seven at inception, the list of HDSCS-supported facilities has grown to include all of the acute care receiving hospitals in the county, plus other critical medical facilities.
All members of HDSCS are FCC-licensed Amateur Radio operators who have their own
portable radio equipment ready to respond to nearby hospitals. Member equipment preparedness is vital because almost all HDSCS activations involve backup of communications among units within the facility such as Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, Laboratory and Pharmacy. One station (transceiver and antenna) is required for each unit operator in these circumstances.
Communications with staff, suppliers and outside agencies (such as blood banks, Red Cross and county Emergency Medical Services agency) are vital in a disaster. Most of our hospitals have installed dedicated rooftop VHF/UHF
antennas and a few have installed Amateur Radio stations for HDSCS use. However, this equipment may not be available or accessible in disaster situations. Therefore, each HDSCS member is prepared to bring battery-operated personal equipment to provide both internal and external communications.
HDSCS members are organized into lists of Call-Up responders and Core Teams. Most members serve in both roles.
Almost all HDSCS members are community volunteers, with a variety of occupations. Only a small fraction are employed by hospitals or other health care organizations. In accordance
with FCC regulations, no fees can be charged for our services as
communicators on Amateur Radio frequencies. HDSCS does not receive monetary funding from any agency or
organization, including ARRL. We have no dues and no treasury. However, the hospitals assist HDSCS and themselves by providing rooftop antennas for our use, as well as services such as mailing, copying, pagers and meeting rooms.
Members of HDSCS attend meetings to learn about hospital
communication needs, other emergency services/groups, hospital procedures and
disaster plans. They practice regularly with the hospitals during both individual facility and county-wide
drills.
The originator and leader of HDSCS is April Moell, callsign WA6OPS. There
are seven HDSCS Assistant Coordinators. In alphabetical order, they are: Paul Broden K6MHD, Tom Gaccione WB2LRH, Dennis Kidder W6DQ, Jim McLaughlin AB6UF, Joe Moell KØOV, Jon Schaffer W6UFS and Ken Simpson W6KOS.
Rosters, procedures, manuals, frequency lists and other internal documents are available only to HDSCS members.
Due to unstable conditions in the health care industry, our list of supported facilities changes frequently. The disaster plans of the following institutions include activation of HDSCS for communications support. Three of these hospitals have recently closed, but may reopen under new management in the future. (MC = Medical Center)
Although there are alliances among some of the above facilities, they all do their communications and disaster planning tasks individually. This necessitates regular contact and coordination by HDSCS leadership with each one of them. Thus it is fair to state that HDSCS supports 36 separate organizations in Orange County.
Even though permanent antennas have been installed in most facilities and complete stations in a few of them, they are not always accessible or "close to the action." That's why HDSCS members are always prepared to bring their own radios and antennas into hospitals, as these operators have done.
With experience both as an Amateur Radio operator and hospital employee, April Moell found it natural to combine the two in HDSCS. She passed her first ham operator test in 1976 and now holds an Advanced Class license.
As a Registered Occupational Therapist, April served for 17 years as Director of Occupational and Recreational Therapies at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, CA. While there, she originated HDSCS. She also founded the Rehab Radio program, which used Amateur Radio communications as a therapy tool with patients recovering from stroke, head injury, and spinal cord injury. In addition, she initiated the North Pole Network, which brings joy to hospital patients of all ages at Christmas time.
When not supporting hospitals, April plays her oboe in the Placentia Symphonic Band. She also puts on radio-orienteering events with husband Joe, callsign KØOV.
April Moell's book "AMATEUR RADIO: A Communications Resource for Hospital Emergencies" is sold out and is not available at this time.
Contact:
Entire site Copyright ©1998-2013 Joseph and April Moell. Republication of any content without prior permission is prohibited.
An Introduction to HDSCS
HDSCS is a specialized unit of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®)
in Orange County, California. ARES is the nationwide public service and emergency
communications arm of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), which is the largest
national association of Amateur Radio enthusiasts. HDSCS claims to be the first and largest ARES unit dedicated solely to hospital support.
In addition to our supported hospitals and Orange County Emergency Medical Services, HDSCS and its members have received recognition from legislators at the county, state and national level. Click for details.More Information Inside This HDSCS Web Site
How Often Do Hospitals Need Hams, Anyway? -- Our vital statistics and a quiz for you
News Notes -- News of our recent activities, drills, and emergency activations
"CODE BLUE: Hams and Hospital Emergencies" -- An article by Joe Moell
We Get Letters -- Thanks from hospitals we have served and from public officials
Supporting Hospitals with Amateur Radio, Your First Steps -- The right way for your ham radio group to get started in supporting your local hospitals
When the Shaking Starts, It's Too Late to Plan -- Equipment and personal preparedness for emergency communications
Amateur Radio Support for Hospitals, A 30-Year Legacy -- How it Began, The Early Lessons Learned
Frequently Asked Questions From Hospital Administrators and Emergency Planners -- Q & A from local officials about HDSCS and how we support Orange County hospitals
Frequently Asked Questions From Amateur Radio Operators -- April Moell answers inquiries from hams around the country about how best to support their local hospitals
Certified Hospital Communicator Program -- Recognizing the experience and competence of our members
RF Interference in Hospitals -- Our common-sense approach to avoiding it
Patient Privacy, HIPAA, and Amateur Radio Communications -- HDSCS and medical confidentiality
Annual Orientation and Review Workshop -- A day of learning and V.I.P. recognition
North Pole Network -- An annual holiday activity of HDSCS
We're Looking for a Few Good Hams -- How southern California hams can join HDSCS
Welcome to K6QEH/R -- The main HDSCS repeater system
Basics For Hams -- Info given to new HDSCS members Some Activation Reports (Also see Activations 2008 - 2012)
Photo pages
FCC Acts to Authorize Amateur Radio Operators to Participate in Drills on Behalf of their Employers -- Our analysis and commentary
HDSCS responds to the editorial about Amateur Radio hospital communications in April 2009 QST Magazine and the ARRL E-Letter
Site Search -- Search the HDSCS and North Pole Network sites by word, name, callsign, or phrase
36 Organizations Supported by HDSCS
In the photos above:
Amateur Radio operators can provide internal (unit-to-unit) and external (hospital to/from outside world) communications when telephones aren't functional due to failure or maintenance. These are some of the eleven hams who provided internal communications during an upgrade of the phone system at Childrens Hospital of Orange County. They are, seated top to bottom, David Daniel KE6NVJ, Gerald "Woody" Woodward W6PA, and Dennis Kidder W6DQ. Standing next to Dennis on the right is Cheryl Simpson KD6MWZ, serving as "shadow" to the hospital's House Supervisor. Ham operators at the hospital's Command Post and an outside base station provided external communications.
April Moell, M.A. WA6OPS
P.O. Box 2508
Fullerton, CA 92837
E-mail: wa6ops@hdscs.org
Surfing suggestion: To see why hospital disaster communications are vitally important, jump to How Often Do Hospitals Need Hams, Anyway?
This Web site designed and constructed by Joe Moell
This page updated 9 April 2013
Hospital Disaster Communication logo ©1984. All rights reserved.
ARES® is a registered Service Mark of the American Radio Relay League, used by permission.
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