Prior Lake, Minnesota - The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community now has its own combination Mobile Medical and Incident Command Unit. The unit will house facilities for mammography and cancer screening in addition to emergency response.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community now has its own combination Mobile Medical and Incident Command Unit. The unit will house facilities for mammography and cancer screening in addition to emergency response.

The Mobile Unit was built by Farber Specialty Vehicles of Columbus, Ohio. It is expected to go into service in October 2007. The Mobile Unit will initially provide services to SMSC employees during health screening events. Other plans are to provide services to Minnesota Indian communities in both rural and urban settings. The Mobile Unit was introduced at the 2007 SMSC Annual Wacipi and utilized as the event command center.

The Mobile Unit has two radiology suites, one for mammography and one for chest x-rays. These suites are fitted with state of the art digital systems that provide screening for breast and lung cancers. The remainder of the Mobile Unit is fitted with a laboratory to screen patients for prostate cancer, diabetes, and other illnesses. There is a larger open space, which can serve multiple functions such as a temporary dental clinic, an emergency medical treatment area, or a meeting area for tactical planning to be used to coordinate services in case of a large-scale emergency. The emergency response component includes radio, telephone, satellite, and visual recording of the emergency scene as a part of the command center functions that will be used by Mdewakanton Emergency Services as needed. An electronic medical record process is also being planned as part of the unit.

"The goal of this project is to offer quality health care services for staff, Community members, and Native American communities. With the Mobile Unit going to other Native American communities, tribal members will be more likely to get preventative health screenings which will allow early detection of disease and hopefully improve life expectancy," said SMSC Health Administrator James Lien.

"The emergency response component of this unit will allow the SMSC to help out in the event of a local or regional crisis. Since emergency preparedness is one of the priorities for the Community," said Muelken, "we are always looking at ways to be of assistance to the larger community if we are needed."

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