Hospital "HAM" Radio

[ka3zlr]

I wonder what the Bids will look like.. attention.. all Personnel with electronics or CB radio training...lol

I wonder what the nets would be like once a week, once a month any traffic.?

Call signs..?


73
Jack

[W1DAN]

Paul:

This is an interesting topic.

I too am concerned about the potential change and commercialization of the hobby.

However I have a slightly different perspective that is worth talking about. My brother works at a hospital in New Orleans. After Katrina, all hospitals in the US made an attempt (maybe just PR) at connecting with local hams for emergency work (I was contacted here in Boston by a hospital communications manager to tie my club with them-not much has happened). My brother started a ham club in the hospital and had some emergency drills with the ARES/RACES folks.

There are two issues when an emergency happens: 1) the use of hospital personnel in ham radio and 2) what information gets passed via ham radio.

The hospital is interested in not only health and welfare, but passing patient data via ham radio. This is against the rules of ham radio, and violates HIPAA regulations unless it is encrypted (which the hospitals may want).

Watch out for hospitals wanting a data path to keep their operation working, not health and welfare.

So the ham station in the New Orleans hospital is working and there are employees who have their licenses, but the role is not as defined yet.

This hospital has a private satellite system bought for emergencies such as this as well.

Dan

[Opcom]

The satellite builders maybe just want something to look good on a resume. "At 19 I built a communications satellite..."

[k4kyv]

The hospital is interested in not only health and welfare, but passing patient data via ham radio. This is against the rules of ham radio, and violates HIPAA regulations unless it is encrypted (which the hospitals may want).

The only situation where I could see this justified would be in case of an acute patient emergency. For example, a doctor at a remote location such as a Pacific island or in the middle of the Amazon is trying to treat a seriously ill or injured patient, and needs some info on his medical history.  I have heard stories of actual situations like that dating all the way back to the early days of amateur radio.  For passing routine patient info, ham  radio would not be appropriate. Encryption would be a violation of the amateur rules in itself.  If a patient on a desert island has a broken back or needs an emergency appendectomy, I'd say to hell with HIPPA and radio regulations.

[KA1ZGC]

If a patient on a desert island has a broken back or needs an emergency appendectomy, I'd say to hell with HIPPA and radio regulations.

Fortunately, the FCC regs already agree with you. When human life is at stake, there are no restrictions upon operation of a radio apparatus to save said life. Distress calls can be legally sent by anyone on any frequency at any time, regardless of license or lack thereof.

The short version is "in an emergency, anything goes", and is widely accepted in the international community as well.

I don't understand why in hell any hospital thinks the amateur service is of any use to them, anyway. Anyone who thinks hams are any use in an emergency (besides getting in the way of public service workers and disrupting communications in some misguided delusion of grandeur) is drinking some very strange-colored Kool-Aid.

[WA3VJB]

NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE MAKING

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-10-45A1.doc

[KA1ZGC]

NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE MAKING

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-10-45A1.doc

For those of us who don't support MICROS~1 DOC format:

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-10-45A1.pdf

[ka3zlr]

What was the procedure during the CD days did they need this same thing,?

Nothings changed except homeland security and the removal of certain rights.

73
Jack.

On Second thought is there anyone old enough at the FCC to remember what
I'm talking about..?