Dozens of medical and fire officials from Anne Arundel County headed south on Monday as the county sent its new mobile command communications unit to Mississippi.

The high-tech truck -- the only one of its kind in the nation -- will help law enforcement officials in rescue and clean-up efforts. In addition to the command vehicle, Anne Arundel County also plans to deploy firefighters, rescue, dive teams and public health experts.

Teams of doctors and nurses are now in New Orleans and another group is set to leave in a few days for Mississippi. The National Institutes of Health put out a call Sunday evening and more than 500 doctors, nurses and other health care professionals from the area responded and volunteered to head south and help out.

WBAL-TV 11 News reporter Barry Simms said there was a sense of urgency at the Johns Hopkins Department of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Gabe Kelen and his staff were coordinating volunteers who responded to a call for help from the Gulf Coast, where there is a critical need for health care workers.

Simms reported it is the unknown that 70 doctors, nurses and pharmacists tried to prepare themselves for Monday morning. At Martin State Airport, they boarded Air National Guard C-130 cargo planes and headed to New Orleans to assist and replace weary medical workers who have been on the job since the hurricane hit.

The health professionals will treat injuries, illnesses and handle disease outbreaks.

Johns Hopkins had already sent other teams ahead to assess medical needs and, on Wednesday, will send 110 more doctors, nurses, to help staff a 250-bed field hospital in Meridian, MS, where they will care for people from Biloxi. Psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers will help people recover from the mental strain they've been under.

The medical personnel may spend two weeks or more in Louisiana and Mississippi. Dr. Kelen said that brings up another concern -- replenishing these volunteers when they get worn out.

Stay with TheWBALChannel.com and 11 News for the latest news updates.