On a football field in Neptune, N.J., is something that one would never expect. It is a tent compound reminiscent of those portrayed in the sitcom M-A-S-H but erected for a whole other purpose and operated by a team of professionals from Pittsburgh.

The team is part of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) team known as a disaster medical assistance team (DMAT). DMATs are a group of professional medical personnel organized to provide rapid-response medical care or casualty decontamination following a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other incident in the United States.

And one such team – named Pennsylvania 1 – with medical professionals based primarily out of the Pittsburgh area were called away to help with the federal response to the Sandy super storm that devastated many parts of New York and New Jersey.

The team of 37 left their families Nov. 2 and headed for Monmouth County, N.J., to set up the team’s first mobile hospital.

“In a 6-day period, we saw over 1,000 patients at the medical shelter in Monmouth County,” said DMAT Commander Knox Walk of McKeesport.

Three days into operations at the Monmouth County shelter, the team split and established another temporary medical facility on the Neptune, N.J., football field where they still operate today and see 72 patients a day on average.

“I was incredibly proud of the team’s effort to get the Neptune shelter up in just 8 hours,” said Walk.

The Pennsylvania DMAT is made up of members of the community who volunteer to deploy to communities where health care infrastructure has been devastated or impacted following a natural or manmade disaster.

Sometimes the call to serve interrupts daily life.

“I was getting ready to go to work when I got the notice we were headed to New Jersey,” said Chuck Jamerson, a medic from Cecil. Jamerson left his wife to care for their 4-year- and 9-month-old children while he is in New Jersey.

“My wife and I were at the county building appealing our property tax assessment when I got the call,” said Francis Feld – a nurse anesthetist with UPMC Mercy.

One had to leave his wife despite the fact they had been impacted by the storm.

“When I left my wife we had just lost power,” said Hayes Art – the chief medical officer of the DMAT and physician from Blue Bell. “My wife was without power for 4 days.”