Combat Support Hospital - Function

Function

A CSH has two separate components, the HUB (Hospital Unit Base) and the HUS (Hospital Unit Surgical). HUS personnel consist of surgeons, surgical nurses, surgical technicians, nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologists. The HUB consists of all other hospital and support personnel including food service, motor pool, hospital admissions (PAD), nurses, biomedical engineers, laundry & bath, etc. In concept, a HUS could be activated separately and interoperate with an existing fielded HUB. HUS surgeons, surgical nurses, nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologists are usually back-filled with IMA (individual mobilization augmentees).

Because they are large and relatively difficult to move, Combat Support Hospitals are not the front line of battlefield medicine. Battalion Aid Stations, Forward Support Medical Battalions and Forward Surgical Teams are usually the first point of contact medical care for wounded soldiers. The CSH receives most patients via helicopter Air Ambulance, and stabilizes these patients for further treatment at fixed facility hospitals. Ideally, the CSH is located as the bridge between incoming helicopter ambulances and outgoing Air Force aircraft.

The CSH is capable of providing definitive care for many cases. Current medical doctrine does not encourage wounded soldiers, if they are not expected to quickly return to operational status, to stay in the combat zone. This is a pragmatic decision as the resources are usually available to bring them home quickly. Military aircraft constantly fly into a theater of operations loaded with equipment and supplies, but often lack a back cargo. Given that adequate "airlift" is usually present, it is easy to evacuate wounded promptly. For this reason the CSH bed capacity is not as heavily used as in past conflicts.

The CSH will generally have a Medical Evacuation Company attached. This company consists of approximately 4 platoons of ground ambulances commanded by a Medical Service Corps. officer. The Ambulance Company in cooperation with available air ambulances (MEDEVAC) is responsible for the movement of sick and wounded from the Battalion Aid Station and other forward-deployed locations to the CSH, as well as evacuation through an established medical treatment chain leading ultimately, for those seriously sick or wounded, to hospitals in the Continental United States in cooperation with resources in the U.S. Air Force.

The CSH is larger than its predecessor, the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. It is commanded by a Colonel, rather than a Lieutenant Colonel.

A fully manned CSH has 624 people to staff 256 beds. The modular nature of the organization allows for partial deployments, and the full unit is not often deployed.