International Medical Corps Approved as an Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Type 1 Provider

An EMT Type 1 is a self-sufficient outpatient health facility with the trained staff, supplies and systems needed to function in the aftermath of a sudden-onset disaster for at least two weeks before it must be resupplied. Such facilities must be deployed, set up and ready to receive patients within 48 hours.

With this classification, IMC is now the only NGO in the world to offer both Fixed and Mobile EMT Type 1 capabilities (only the governments of New Zealand and Norway also offer these capabilities.) It also is the first NGO in the USA to offer Fixed EMT Type 1 capability, and just the second NGO in the US to offer Mobile EMT Type 1 capability.

“IMC has decades of experience responding quickly and effectively to rapid-onset emergencies, saving many thousands of lives,” said Nancy Aossey, President and CEO of IMC “Classification by the WHO as an EMT Type 1 provider will enable us to deploy even more efficiently, leveraging the expert teams and proven processes we already have in place.”

The WHO created the EMT concept to standardize medical deployments in the event of a humanitarian crisis, ensuring that all EMTs commit to clearly defined capabilities and standards. International Medical Corps’ classification as an EMT Type 1 confirms its ability to respond wherever and whenever needed, and to quickly provide comprehensive care to people in need.

International Medical Corps would like to thank the AbbVie Foundation, Airbnb.org, FedEx and the Medtronic Foundation for support that helped make the classification possible.

Read more about this achievement and see a layout of the facility here.