SHTF Clinic Part 2 Location an Security

SHTF Medical Clinic. Part 2. Location and Security. 

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Choosing a location. First determine if you are going to stay for a few hours or days, or of this is the new home for your group. For short term just about any defensible place would be acceptable.  Now for long term you need to look at the lay of the land.

First off let’s talk about a totally outdoor clinic. Avoid wide open areas. Look for an area that is not in the direct path of flood waters. A site with good drainage and good airflow,  but not hurricane force winds all the time.  Good over head shade and cover. Good lighting but with out constant glaring sunlight. Easy access to roads and trails but not in direct line of sight. Also since your setting up an outdoor clinic you need to ensure enough room is avaiable for all the tents to at least be close together or attached. Water source. Part of the clinic responsibility is sanitation and that requires water. A cleared area suitable to plant and  maintain medicinal herbs. The size depends on how many you plan to take care of.

Accessibility and space for the clinic staff to have quarters while they are on duty, or an area large enough for the healers to live and maintain their family and their needs.

Caves have been used for tens of thousands of years as healer halls. The advantages are many. But the main disadvantage is the cool moist enviroment the ventilation is hard to manage and lighting is difficult. But these are not deal breakers.  You will just have to make adjustments to how you work, live and treat patients.

This seems like a lot to consider. And in reality it is one the surface of choosing a location. We haven’t even talked about security or securing the location.

Security. In addition to the items above on choosing a location you need to plan for people trying to take what you have away. In last week’s news letter I talked about how medical personnel where at the top of list of targets by……dirt bags. During the Bosnian conflict villages, towns and even  small and large cities were distroyed. Even in the so called secure areas looters wannabe warlords and OPFOR military members would scour the  countryside looking for clinics aid stations and even local healer homes to gather supplies they were low on or they were out of, and healers to cure their sick and wounded.  That is a view I will never forget.

One of the first things that I feel, ( remember this is my opinion ) is entrances and EXITS. The majority that I saw that were over run were those set up with no thought on how to get out if needed. Straight roads to the main area are asking for someone to roll up and take over. Not intending to get “Military Tactical”  here but sound tactics are needed. You also need to choose the site with defense in mind alooking

1. NO line of site to a major or even a minor road. Yes you need to have good access but you also do not need be in plain site.
2. Have your securtity people, or yes even you the Medic or Healer. draw up a range card.
A range card is a diagram of the entire area and details distances and features. Normally it is used for weapons placement but we did them on setting up aid stations so that we knew where everything was and if we needed to defend ourselves we didnt have to see the threat clearly.

This is an example of a a range card. Ideally you would have one for eacv side of your clinic area.

3. Setup. After security has informed if its a defensable site, then it is time to set up. Here you can be as fancy or as minimalistice as you want/need. Look at your own doctores office . Look at the work flow,. Does it flow smoothly or is there bottle necks or  back tracking and items in the way.  The majority of the clinics I set up in the military we did in a GP Medium tent. A GP Medium is 16 x 32. On one end we had an shade set up made from a 2 2 1/2 ton truck tarp. 1 as shade one as a wall. This was waiting traige. As the tent was entered there was 7×10 “rooms” along one wall and one 6x 10 on the oppsite. Next to the lone exam room we had a small 6 x5 room that was the “lab” in this area we did basic micro and blood counts/urine work up. And a 6×5 room that was “pharmacy”  The same basic set up would work for a civillain SHTF clinic. The actual sizes and araigment are totaly dependent on YOUR needs.

There is no way to write a manual on exactly what you need to set up a small clinic. Each is as unique as the person(s) building it.

Upcoming Classes

Herbal Basics

Class date is August 20th 8am to 3pm at Lovelace Medical Center. (LMC) In the Blanding room 2nd floor
601 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave NE Albuquerque, NM 87102. 

Basic Herbal Medicine

Wound Care 

Class date is August 27th 8am to 3pm at Lovelace Medical Center. (LMC) In the Blanding room 2nd floor
601 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave NE Albuquerque, NM 87102. 

Wound Care

 

And don’t forget to check out the Medic Shack Home page. We have a multitude of classes to suit all levels of medical preparedness

To get even further ahead of the game pick up Cat Ellis’s book
Prepper’s Natural Medicine: Life-Saving Herbs, Essential Oils and Natural Remedies for When There is No Doctor.
I have 2. Not totally because she my friend and co host. But because I consider it GEAR. One is on my desk and one is vacuum sealed and in the bug out med kit

This is her newest book Prepping for a Pandemic. I’ve had a peak into it and yes this another piece of gear for your med kit

 

 

*********   DISCLAIMER  **********

Use of the information on this newletter is AT YOUR OWN RISK, intended solely for self-help, in times of emergency, when medical help is not available, or expected to BE available The information on this site is meant to be used only during times when improvisational, last-ditch efforts are all that is possible. The hosts of The Medic Shack assume that if you are using this information that TSHTF and no help other than what YOU have is forth coming.  DO NOT USE THIS INFORMATION WHEN YOU CAN GET MORE TRADITIONAL OR PROFESSIONAL CARE.

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