Along with forming groups and committees designated to help out during disasters, the Crenshaw County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) will soon be the home of its own mobile hospital unit, provided by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH).

This new mobile hospital will offer medical services in times when the local hospital is unable to house residence in need of care.

“It’s good to know that you have one here, because you have a small hospital. If that hospital was surged, or too many people were in there, they need to have an alternate site for their beds,” said Peggy Hagler, Nurse Coordinator with the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH).

“If it was hit like the one in Tuscaloosa almost was, you want to have an extra place. Hospitals need to have a plan for an alternate site, and it wouldn’t be for just Crenshaw. It’s so easy to get from Montgomery to Luverne, and it’s very convenient,” said Hagler.

According to Crenshaw County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) director Elliott Jones, the facility will be housed on the dead end road of the county highway department and Crenshaw County Jail. Presently, there is already a concrete slab at the area to house the mobile unit to ensure it does not bog down during inclement weather.

“Once I found out that there were hospitals like this out there, I wanted one. I would rather us have it housed here in our county. It’s just one more step in our growth to get our county put on the map,” said Jones.

“We’re working on getting a shelter built, and I go out and check our equipment once a week.”

Jones is also looking for a way to have a shelter built next to the mobile unit.

Paperwork is still being drawn up for the mobile unit, but Jones is hopeful that it will be up and operational soon.

“By having this in our county, we can better respond to a mass disaster. If an incident such as the 2007 Enterprise tornado were to happen to one of our schools, instead of resources being totally overwhelmed, I could bring the hospital to the campus for treatment of all minor injuries,” said Jones.

“This would be beneficial to everyone involved. The ambulances as well as the local hospital would have less of a patient load so that the critical could be transported and treated without an overflow causing any delays.”