1 * agp 1 December 1978 Mr. W. J. Stanley Director, Pacific Area Support Office Deparlcant of Energy P.O.3. 23929 . Honalulu, Hawaii 96820 Sey Dear Bill, Taig letter is in response to a telephona requast I received from Hafty Brown lata yesterday afternoon. regardingmy. opinions.aa to the feasibiliry ofsmall helicoptor eupport fer the Medical Survey of the Marshall Islands. As background for the following discussions, I'd like to restate an opinion which I think we hava discussed previously im your office, pertainin. to the long-range logistic plans for the BNL medical survey. First, it wauil appear than sometina in the near'future that the geographic area assigned to BNL might expand appreciably, i.e., to imclude the people of Bikini and Eatiyestok. This dacision ts pending at DOE/DOI. Thia, of course, would tremendously enlarze the geographic area to ba covered by the médical survey temas and would prespent severe logiatic problems for slow shipboard eupport. Aa we have discuased in ths past, the pesasibility of establishing small independent examining facilities on each of the islands and supporting these installations by be be to aircraft certainly should be considered carefully. The type of aircrafc ta used apain preaents a variety of optiota. I understand that a PRY 5A will available from the University of Hawaii. I have no further information a‘ the dates of availabiliry or priority for ita utilization by this program. Another option which I have been considering ia the ultimate use of a heavy helicopter of the SH-3 type that would have both the range and operating charact#rigties necessary for outer island aupport. Both of these options would greatly increase the facility with which wa could evacuate patients fron the islanda in the event of medical emergencies.* Of course, all of this is conjecture at this point until sone final decision is made as to the Bihini and Eniwetok populations. Oncaea that deciston haz been mada and we have some tdes of our future patient loading, I think wa ought to hava a logiatic meetings to develop some short- and long-termsplans concerning these optiona.