| Abstract: | The urgency of the crisis following a nuclear attack staggers the imagination. We would have thousands or millions of survivors making a desperate struggle to survive. Safe water supplies and waste-disposal systems would be gone. In some areas, there would be little or no food or shelter.Yet California has already manned a medical arsenal that is second to none in the United States. We have stored 115 emergency hospitals at strategic points, and through the county medical associations we have appointed cadres including physicians, nurses and technicians. Plans have been made for workers who will assist in setting up the hospitals and first aid stations.In our future operations we will continue to place strong emphasis on the medical phase of our program of disaster care.The program would be just as essential in the event of major natural disaster as nuclear war.Our objective is a simple one. We are seeking to preserve the human resources which are necessary for recovery.California''s medical profession, with the allied professions of nursing and technical skills, has a vital interest in continuing operations to the maximum extent even under the most trying conditions. |
