The Mine Action Trauma Care Collaborative: Enhancing Coordination Between Humanitarian Mine Action and the Emergency Health Response to Civilian Casualties of Explosive Ordnance

Authors

Hannah Wild, Department of Surgery, University of WashingtonFollow
Christelle Loupforest, United Nations Mine Action ServiceFollow
Loren Persi, Victim Assistance SpecialistFollow
Elke Hottentot, Victim Assistance SpecialistFollow
Sebastian Kasack, Mines Advisory GroupFollow
Firoz Alizada, Antipersonnel Mine Ban Convention Implementation Support UnitFollow
International Blast Injury Research Network (IBIRN)Follow
Adam Kushner, Surgeons OverseasFollow
Barclay T. Stewart, University of Washington; Harborview Injury Prevention and Research CenterFollow

Abstract

Modern armed conflict is characterized by the use of a wide variety of explosive weapons (EW), creating complex injury patterns with need for rapid first aid including hemorrhage control close to the point of injury. Yet, in many places where these injuries occur, formal trauma systems are weakened by conflict and resource limitations. In conflict zones, where immediate trauma care is often challenging to access for civilian casualties of EW, the humanitarian mine action (HMA) sector’s unique position and capabilities present a critical opportunity to bridge this gap—a potential that has been realized with the creation of the Mine Action Trauma Care Collaborative (MA-TCC). By fostering collaboration between the mine action sector and health responders, the MA-TCC aims to leverage HMA’s extensive field presence and expertise to enhance trauma care delivery, ensuring a more coordinated, effective response to the urgent medical needs of those injured by EW.

Recommended Citation

Wild, Hannah; Loupforest, Christelle; Persi, Loren; Hottentot, Elke; Kasack, Sebastian; Alizada, Firoz; (IBIRN), International Blast Injury Research Network; Kushner, Adam; and Stewart, Barclay T. (2024) "The Mine Action Trauma Care Collaborative: Enhancing Coordination Between Humanitarian Mine Action and the Emergency Health Response to Civilian Casualties of Explosive Ordnance," The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction: Vol. 28 : Iss. 1 , Article 3.
Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol28/iss1/3