The No-Grid Realities of Medical Care in a Post-Collapse Society

I think one of the primary reasons that so many people refuse to prepare for challenging times is that they cannot fathom what they will do to care for their children and loved ones when there is no medical care available.  Preparing well now can help us deal appropriately with the challenges we will face.  However, that involves coming to terms with our current reality.

At present, our medical care system is extremely evolved.  We have sophisticated laboratory tests that can identify blood cell counts, toxins, bacteria and viruses; imaging labs for x-rays, MRIs, and CT scans.  If a general practitioner can’t figure out what you have, s/he orders lab tests and/or sends you on to a specialist.  If we can’t get in to see our regular doctor, there is urgent care or the emergency room at the hospital.  In Laura Ingalls’ world of the 1880s, Doc Baker did it all from boo-boos and broken bones to internal medicine, heart issues, and death. When the tiered response and technologically dependent medical system we currently use disappears, we need to be prepared to deal with it. 

Our highly specialized care providers have achieved their level of expertise largely through the means of highly specialized equipment.  When that equipment no longer functions, they will be no more skilled than Doc Baker.  In fact, they may be handicapped because they have not trained to work without the technology that facilitates expression of their knowledge.  When the grid goes away, their value as a care provider may not completely evaporate, but it could be severely compromised. 

True, hospital generators may keep some equipment running for a short time.  But how long?  Once the fuel supply is exhausted, there will be no:

• Lights
• Heat or air conditioning
• Laboratory work
• Radiology—x-rays, MRIs, or CT scans
• Sterilization of anything
• Laundry
• Patient monitors
• Patient records (everything is online—there are no paper records)
• Payroll
• Food services

Then what happens?  When transportation stops, within one week:

• Hospital and clinic supplies, most of which are disposable, will be exhausted
• Pharmacy shelves will be empty
  

With COVID, we saw that hospitals did not have enough masks, gloves, or personal protective equipment for even a few days.  What happens with a true pandemic or large scale disaster? 

Within a few days:

• Sanitation and water supplies will be compromised (no fuel or generators to keep the water flowing)
• Diseases are inevitable due to lack of clean water and sanitation

So what can we do?

• Doctors and other medical personnel cannot provide anything but primitive care without supplies or disinfection capability.
• There are no contingency plans established at most hospitals in the US.  (In fact, many hospitals are built in poor locations.  For example, all the major hospitals in Utah are built right on or next to a major earthquake fault line.)
• We have to prepare.  A well-trained medic can provide clean water, sanitation, medical supplies (ones that can be sterilized and re-used when possible).

It is all up to you.  You are responsible for meeting your family’s medical needs.

• Knowledge base
• Medical knowledge
• What have you internalized?  What do you just know without needing to consult any references?
• What references do you have? 
• Most physician references are digitalized.  How accessible will these be if the grid goes down?
• Have hard copies of at least a few books, if possible.  It doesn’t matter whether it’s Bring Your Own Bandages, or something else
• Survival and Austere Medicine, 3^rd Edition
• Armageddon Medicine
• The Survival Medicine Handbook
• The Ship’s Medicine Chest and Guide to Medical Aid at Sea
• Where There Is No Doctor
• The above are all good references.  Get at least three if possible.  No one book covers everything, even the common diseases.
• Medical skills
• Prevention skills—clean water and sanitation, wearing protective gear, sterilization.
• Diagnostic skills—being able to diagnose conditions without lab tests, based only on the patient history.
• Interventional skills—knowing how to turn a bad situation around.
• What do you have?
• Have you acquired durable medical supplies that don’t require batteries (if possible)?  Glass thermometers, pulse oximeter (batteries required), stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, etc.
• What expendable medical supplies do you have?  Medications, wound dressings, sutures, disinfectants, syringes, etc.
• What about advanced items, the things you may not know how to use, but better have on hand for a doctor to treat your family—IV fluids, antibiotics, sterile gloves and gowns, general anesthetics
• Improvisational supplies like sugar, plastic wrap, Vaseline, apple cider vinegar, etc.

Getting prepared for a complete collapse of medical care can be overwhelming.  But it is not impossible or unattainable.  Like everything regarding preparedness, we do it one step at a time.  Begin by acquiring some knowledge.  Purchase a book.  Start acquiring supplies you are most likely to use based on your family’s history.  Get the medical records together and up-to-date.  Set aside a designated time each week to work on medical preparedness.  No one else is doing it for you—nobody can.  Each family is unique with specific needs. 

It’s up to you to prepare your family for the challenges that lie ahead.

Links to related posts:

Book Reviews

Ship's Medicine Chest and Medical Aid at Sea

Acquiring Antibiotics

Prioritizing the Acquisition of Supplies

 23 december 2020