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MISSION
IMERT works to support Illinois by
maintaining 24 hour operational readiness to lend medical assistance in times
of disaster throughout the state.
This also involves enhancing awareness in
our communities through education and training and collaborating with other
preparedness agencies to enhance the overall capability of the state of
Illinois to respond to emergencies.
IMERT is dedicated to increasing the
confidence and competency of Illinois’ citizens in times of disaster.
HISTORY
The IMERT concept
emerged in 1999 when a small group of emergency physicians, nurses,
and toxicologists met with individuals in the Division of Emergency
Medical Services of the Illinois Department of Public Health. The
initial intent of the group was to assess the level of awareness
and preparedness of emergency department personnel in Illinois to
respond to a large-scale WMD event that might overwhelm hospitals
and surrounding communities.
Although
planning to enhance preparedness for a major incident was underway
in many large cities, the Illinois group realized that the state
as a whole needed a network of coordinated mutual support and a
more systematic approach to responding to a large scale catastrophe.
They realized that it was important to develop organized protocols,
formalize communications systems and recognize a core of specially
prepared responders to assist in case of a mass casualty event,
including one resulting from a WMD.
In the
summer of 1999, The Illinois Department of Public Health, along
with this group, applied for and received a grant from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for see funding for the
Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team (IMERT) to develop educational
and infrastructure to formalize the ability to respond to mass casualty
events.
TEAM COMPOSITION
 The Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team (IMERT) is a multi-disciplinary group of volunteers trained to respond to medical disasters and provide interim medical care for survivors or evacuees. The team’s health care professionals are mostly from an emergency background. The logistics, IT, communications and safety specialists come from a variety of backgrounds.
The Illinois Nurse Team (INVENT) is a group of volunteer registered nurses with backgrounds and expertise from the entire spectrum of patient care. INVENT is designed to supplement an IMERT response to foster sustainability of response into the recovery phase. Under the authority of the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, INVENT and IMERT are included in the Illinois State Disaster Medical Plan.
DEPLOYMENTS
IMERT has been actively participating in drills, trainings, and deployments since 2003. To view a list of all the deployments and pre-deployments IMERT has participated in CLICK HERE.
Our most prominent deployment was our initial response to Hurricane Katrina. On August 30, 2005, the State of Louisiana sent out an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) request for medical assistance. The EMAC request was received by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and forwarded to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). IDPH contacted the Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team (IMERT) with the intention of using IMERT volunteers to fulfill the request. 51 IMERT members were dispatched. The team was assigned to go to the Louisiana State University (LSU) Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC) to assist with a field hospital. This assignment came from the Louisiana’s State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC). IMERT teams combined with New Mexico DMAT team, U.S. Public Health Service and local providers to staff the hospital 24 hours a day. The PMAC field hospital treated more than 6,100 patients, handled 15,000 evacuees, and inoculated 500 Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) and 150 Louisiana State Police personnel throughout the course of the deployment. Overall, the mission was a huge success for IMERT and IDPH.
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