.
HDSCS stands for Hospital Disaster Support Communications System. It 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.
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 also 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.
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.
All Amateur Radio operators, including HDSCS members, perform their services as unpaid volunteers. In accordance
with FCC regulations, no fees can be charged for their services as
communicators on Amateur Radio frequencies. HDSCS does not receive monetary funding from any agency or
organization, including ARRL. However, the hospitals assist HDSCS by providing on-site antennas and services such as mailing, copying, pagers and meeting rooms.
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 Cheryl Simpson KD6MWZ.
Due to unstable conditions in the health care industry, our list of supported facilities changes frequently. Today, the disaster plans of the following institutions include activation of HDSCS for communications support. (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 34 separate organizations in Orange County.
Even though permanent antennas and stations have been installed in some facilities, 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.
Rosters, procedures, manuals, frequency lists and other internal documents are available only to HDSCS members.
April Moell's book "AMATEUR RADIO: A Communications Resource for Hospital Emergencies" is sold out and is not available at this time.
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.
April is presently a consultant working with medical facilities, pharmaceutical companies, and government agencies regarding all forms of backup communications resources.
When not consulting, supporting hospitals, or writing about it, April plays her oboe in the Placentia Symphonic Band and the Orange County Symphony Orchestra. She also puts on radio-orienteering events with husband Joe, callsign KØOV.
Contact info:
Entire site ©1998-2007 Joseph and April Moell. Republication of any content without permission is prohibited.
An Introduction to HDSCS
HDSCS is a specialized unit of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®)
in Orange County. 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 has received recognition from legislators at the county, state and national level. Click for details.34 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 KJ6LE, 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.
This is an archived page of the HDSCS Web site from February 2008. It is out of date because the site has moved to a new server to eliminate AOL's advertising. Click here for the latest version of this page. Please bookmark www.hdscs.org to access this site in the future. Thanks for visiting!
- HDSCS WebmasterMore Information Inside This HDSCS Web Site
How Often Do Hospitals Need Hams, Anyway? -- Our vital statistics and a quiz for you "CODE BLUE: Hams and Hospital Emergencies" -- An article by Joe Moell News Notes -- News of our recent activities, drills, and emergency activations We Get Letters -- Thanks from hospitals we have served and from public officials 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 RF Interference in Hospitals -- Our common-sense approach to avoiding it We're Looking for a Few Good Hams -- How southern California hams can join HDSCS Annual Orientation and Review Workshop -- A day of learning and V.I.P. recognition North Pole Network -- An annual holiday activity of HDSCS Basics For Hams -- Info given to new HDSCS members HDSCS Celebrates 25 Years -- How we started, how we grew, and how we're celebrating HDSCS Supports 2007 Disney Half-Marathon -- We provided all medical communications Welcome to K6QEH/R -- The main HDSCS repeater system
Some Activation Reports (Also see Activations in 2006 and 2007)
Photo pages
Site Search -- Search the HDSCS and North Pole Network sites by word, name, callsign, or phrase
April Moell, M.A. WA6OPS
P.O. Box 2508
Fullerton, CA 92837
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 11 February 2008
Hospital Disaster Communication logo ©1984. All rights reserved.
ARES® is a registered Service Mark of the American Radio Relay League, used by permission.
