hamilton county. historical perspective freedom corps established by president bush after 9/11...
TRANSCRIPT
Historical Perspective
• Freedom Corps established by President Bush after 9/11• Asking Americans to support their county by
volunteering• Problems encountered during 9/11 included
• Lack of emergency preparedness at the local level
• No organized approach to channel emergency relief efforts
Historical Perspective
• Part of the Freedom Corps is the Citizen Corps Council
• Groups under the Citizen Corps Council are:• C.E.R.T. (Community Emergency Response
Training)• MRC (Medical Reserve Corps)• USA on Watch (Neighborhood Watch) • VIPS (Volunteers in Police Service)• Fire Corps
Goal
• Provide structure necessary to deploy volunteers to assist medical and public health personnel in response to an emergency.
• Identify specific, trained, and credentialed personnel who are ready to respond.
• Coordinate the skills of practicing and retired physicians, nurses and other health, dental and pharmacy professionals as well as other citizens that want to help their community.
Who Can Volunteer?
• Physicians• Physician
Assistants• Nurses• Dentists/Dental
Techs• Pharmacists/
Pharmacy Techs
• EMT’s• Veterinarians• Mental Health
Professionals• All Other
Interested Citizens
Medical Volunteer Roles
• Triage• Emergency Medical Care• Physician Consultant• Medical Screening and Evaluation• Medication and/or Vaccine Preparation• Medication and/or Vaccine Dispensing• Medical Dispensing Assistant• Mental Health / Crisis Counseling
Non-Medical Volunteer Roles• Stocking Supplies• Clerical Support - registration, inventory, etc.• Health Education• Security/Safety – traffic flow, parking, etc.• Translation Assistance• Administering Vaccinations• Dispensing Medication• Transportation• Greeter• Kitchen Workers• Runners - relay messages, refill supplies, etc.
Tailored Membership
You can make choices about your membership and change them when necessary.
Volunteers can…• Choose their membership level• Choose to serve in any specific member
community or all of them• Choose to deploy outside the area or stay local.
Tailored Activity Level
• Active – Heavily involved in training and activities
• Limited – A lesser pace of training and activities
• Emergency Only – Minimum training and use during emergencies/disasters only
MRC Volunteers May Be Called Upon To:
• Help during an emergency• Provide education on family emergency
preparedness• Assist with health fairs & flu clinics• Offer First Aid at Special Events• Staff community events• Provide support during outbreaks• Help at community distribution sites• Assist with state required drills
Reasons to Activate the MRC
Assignments are based on what you have told us as to where you would prefer being assigned to.
Reasons for activation or response could be…
Volunteers May Choose To Deploy Outside of Area to Assist With National Disasters such as Katrina
and Rita in 2005
Why you need to be an MRC Volunteer
• You’re pre-registered and can start volunteering right away• Little to no wait times, which can feel and be crucial to
response efforts
• Satisfaction• Keeping your skills sharp• Broaden social networks• Health benefits• To keep your community safe & prepared
Liability
• Under the federal Volunteer Protection Act of 1997, people who volunteer for governmental entities cannot be held liable for any harm that they may cause while engaged in volunteer activity (except for a harm caused by operation of a motor vehicle or a harm caused by criminal conduct or gross or reckless misconduct)
• There are also Good Samaritan Laws that are in place to protect all volunteers
MRC Facts
• There are currently 995 Medical Reserve Corps units in the United States
• These units are made up of 207,944 volunteers
Hamilton County Health Department Volunteer Needs
Area population ----------------------------------------------------------------8,368
Professionals/Volunteers needed to staff Distribution Sites ---------- 108
Hamilton County Area ---------------------------------------- 436 square miles
Goals and Partnerships
• Goal - train registered volunteers• Partnerships
• Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)• Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA)• Illinois Terrorism Task Force (ITTF)• Illinois Emergency Services Management Agency
(IESMA)
Training Recommendations
• MRC Orientation
• Distribution Site Orientation
• Family Disaster Preparedness – Online
• First Aid/CPR
• Participation in drills/exercises and practices
Training Recommendations
• FEMA Online Courses
• IS-100 – Introduction to ICS (Incident Command) (optional for non-leadership members)
• IS-200 – ICS (optional for non-leadership members)• IS-700 – Introduction to NIMS (National Incident
Management System)• IS-800 – National Response Plan• http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims
Advanced Training Recommendations
• IS-300 – Intermediate ICS (for leadership only)• IS-400 – Advanced ICS (for leadership only)
For More Information Contact
Clark Griffith, Director or
Pat Scarbrough, Coordinator
Hamilton County Medical Reserve Corps
618-842-5166OR
www.HamiltonCountyHealthDept.org