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The NC 400 SMAT (State Medical Assistance Team), staged at Duke University Medical Center, is one of 8 like entities overseen and managed by Level I or Level II Trauma Centers in the State of North Carolina. Utilizing only federal grant funds, The North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services provides direction to these teams that make up the foundation for the North Carolina State Medical Response System.

The NC 400 SMAT is comprised of a very diverse group of both medical and non-medical volunteers. These volunteers come from various Hospitals, EMS Agencies, and other medical care entities from within the 8 county Duke Trauma Region. While not only populating our mobile medical care rosters when deployed, these professionals also provide their employers with educational and operational resources in the fields of disaster response, incident command, and other specialized training gained from their affiliation with NC 400 SMAT.

The original concept of the SMAT project was to respond to a Weapons of Mass Destruction attack to provide technical decontamination of patients exposed during a CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive) event. The SMAT focus has transitioned into a multifaceted all-hazards response team that can provide a wide variety of mobile medical care in the face of disaster. The decontamination component is still within the scope of practice; however, the capabilities have grown and include the provision of care to the Special Medical Needs Populations, Points of Distribution for Mass Prophylaxis, and Mass Fatalities Management in the wake of a major incident.

Although The NC 400 SMAT can answer calls for assistance from local, regional, state or national partners, we are a Duke entity and call Durham, North Carolina home.

To become a member, register as a volunteer online at www.terms.ncem.org and affiliate with the Duke Regional Advisory Committee SMAT II. You will be contacted by a member of the NC400 SMAT who will provide you with further information.