TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. – Soldiers are being equipped with computers that give new meaning to first aid.

Technicians in the Computer Service and Repair Branch are programming computers that allow medics and other medical personnel to diagnose and probably treat injuries ranging from snake bites to gunshot wounds.

The branch is part of the Command, Control and Computer Systems Division; Command, Control and Computer Systems/Avionics Directorate.

The computer system, called Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care, or MC4, is actually a suite of rugged computer hardware and joint software being fielded to medics, field hospitals and other deployed medical units. MC4 enables deployed medical forces to record and share patient medical records from the battlefield to the U.S., supplanting archaic paper-based methods.

The system is a medical information-management system for Army tactical medical forces, providing a comprehensive, life-long electronic medical record for all service members and enhancing medical situational awareness.

“MC4 systems consist of hand-held computers, three types of laptops and two servers, plus peripheral components such as printers and memory cards for each type of computer,” said Mark Cooper, electronics mechanic. “Our mission is to load software into the computers and servers, test them, and assemble the equipment in transit cases.”

Headquartered at Fort Detrick, Md., MC4 is under the oversight of Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems, Fort Belvoir, Va.

Division chief Jerry Dougher said the mission started in January.

The AN/TYQ-105(V1) hand-held computer can be used by medical personnel to diagnose and treat injury in the field.

“Thousands of deployed medical personnel will have these,” said James Hummel, an electronic measurement equipment mechanic. “We load them with software that provides first aid information, including things like identifying different snake bites such as a rattlesnake, or treatment of injuries.”

Medical personnel can also use the TYQ-105s to record, transmit and access a Soldier’s medical information via synchronization with MC4 laptops.

“This will help in giving first aid faster,” Hummel said. “The computers use a Windows XP environment, so it’s easy to input data about an injured Soldier, which helps with performing field triage.”

That data can be transmitted to an AN/TYQ-106, 107 or 108 laptop computer, then through an AN/TYQ-108 (V1) server to the Combat-Service-Support Automated Information Systems Interface (CAISI) via the Internet. The servers are stationed at combat support hospitals where hundreds of MC4 laptops are in use and transmit data to and from the handheld and laptop computers as well as other medical data systems.

Depot technicians have programmed thousands of computers and servers, which have been fielded to medical personnel throughout Southwest Asia.

“The most difficult part of the mission is programming the servers, because they have the most complex software,” Hummel said. “The handheld takes the least time to program. Fitting all the equipment into a transit case is also time consuming; it has everything needed, even cleaning fluids for the DVD player and other components. We’ve cut down our time to prepare a complete system.”

Cooper explained that the experience they gained allows them to work faster and find better ways of completing the mission. For example, they found a way to load software onto the memory cards that dropped the time from seven cards in 45 minutes to less than a minute.

“We found that an older version of Windows is more efficient than the XP we were using,” he said.

“We also had a Lean event and reorganized the shop,” Dougher added. “The Lean techniques helped us cut the total time to prepare a complete system.”

Dougher said Tobyhanna will also repair systems as they are returned from the field.

“Tobyhanna Army Depot plays a critical role in the MC4 mission,” said Orlando Illi, MC4 Deputy Product Manager. “They provide a central location for systems integration, configuration and asset management – all of which help us field the most comprehensive information management/information technology medical system in theater to date.”