Press Release
February 28, 2008
Rep. Susan Davis Secures Review of Decision to Move Disaster Medical Supplies
Potential move to Los Angeles could leave San Diego vulnerable
WASHINGTON – An official from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has agreed to take closer look at the plan to move San Diego’s critical emergency medical supplies to Los Angeles.
In a phone call with Congresswoman Susan Davis on Thursday, February 28, 2008, HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, W. Craig Vanderwagen, said he will direct his staff to reevaluate the plan to move the region’s emergency medical supplies to Los Angeles.
Davis, who spoke to the Assistant Secretary along with Congressman Brain Bilbray, explained some of the potential disasters facing the San Diego region, including earthquakes and wildfires. She asked him to please take another look at the decision to move the critical supplies to a location about 100 miles away because it would limit the ability of local emergency teams to respond to crises.
“I appreciate the Secretary taking a close look at this decision,” Davis said. “This relocation plan has not been well thought out and could leave San Diego’s community vulnerable. The wildfires in 2007 caused road closures. Emergency teams would not have had access to medical supplies had they been stored in Los Angeles.”
HHS is moving forward with a proposal to consolidate all of Southern California’s emergency medical warehouses into one Los Angeles location effective March 31, 2008.
Assistant Secretary Vanderwagen agreed to evaluate the decision and would follow up next week.
San Diego’s Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) keeps its emergency supplies in a warehouse located near Miramar Naval Air Station. Medical supplies and communications equipment are kept at the storage facility. The DMAT team recently used the equipment during the 2007 wildfires. During the fires, main roadways between San Diego and Los Angeles were closed.
Davis spoke to Assistant Secretary Vanderwagen after sending a letter the day to HHS asking that the emergency medical supplies remain at its current location.