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Source: http://www.jconline.com/article/20090322/NEWS/903220347
Medical professionals forming disaster group
By Dorothy Schneider ? dschneider@journalandcourier.com ? March 22, 2009
If a major disaster or pandemic outbreak hit the area, Cathy Mitchell wouldn't be among Tippecanoe County's first responders.
But Mitchell, a nurse working in ophthalmology at St. Elizabeth Medical Center, said she'd still like to be able to help. That's why she volunteered to be part of the county's new Medical Reserve Corps.
A local chapter of the national Medical Reserve Corps is being formed by the Tippecanoe County Health Department. Recruitment is just beginning but organizers are hoping to get as many as 150 volunteers this year.
Most licensed medical professionals would be able to help, including nurses, doctors, pharmacists, nursing assistants, mental health providers, dentists and veterinarians.
"We would be able to support first responders and help people in our community," Mitchell said. "I thought it would be a good way to give back."
Medical Reserve Corps volunteers could help beyond disastertimes, said Tilara Treece, emergency preparedness coordinator with the health department.
She hopes the group members can help educate the public on health matters, volunteer at first-aid stations during community events and even work at the department's immunization clinics.
"The goal is to have a group of medical volunteers ready to respond to any type of public health emergency," Treece said. "They would be willing and able and trained to respond in Tippecanoe County and to surrounding counties, if needed."
The group will ultimately need volunteers with non-medical skills, too. Treece said the other support for the Medical Reserve Corps will be recruited after medical professionals have been lined up.
Medical Reserve Corps groups formed across the country in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Counties need to be prepared to handle emergency situations on their own for roughly 72 hours, Treece said, in case there is a mass disaster that prevents federal aid from arriving.
Tippecanoe County has received $15,000 in federal grant money over the past two years to help with the formation of the Medical Reserve Corps.
"If something bad happens, you're going to be on your own. There's no help coming in. That's what we've got to prepare for," said Jeff Houston, the EMS coordinator for Tippecanoe Emergency Ambulance Service.
Medical professionals forming disaster group
By Dorothy Schneider ? dschneider@journalandcourier.com ? March 22, 2009
If a major disaster or pandemic outbreak hit the area, Cathy Mitchell wouldn't be among Tippecanoe County's first responders.
But Mitchell, a nurse working in ophthalmology at St. Elizabeth Medical Center, said she'd still like to be able to help. That's why she volunteered to be part of the county's new Medical Reserve Corps.
A local chapter of the national Medical Reserve Corps is being formed by the Tippecanoe County Health Department. Recruitment is just beginning but organizers are hoping to get as many as 150 volunteers this year.
Most licensed medical professionals would be able to help, including nurses, doctors, pharmacists, nursing assistants, mental health providers, dentists and veterinarians.
"We would be able to support first responders and help people in our community," Mitchell said. "I thought it would be a good way to give back."
Medical Reserve Corps volunteers could help beyond disastertimes, said Tilara Treece, emergency preparedness coordinator with the health department.
She hopes the group members can help educate the public on health matters, volunteer at first-aid stations during community events and even work at the department's immunization clinics.
"The goal is to have a group of medical volunteers ready to respond to any type of public health emergency," Treece said. "They would be willing and able and trained to respond in Tippecanoe County and to surrounding counties, if needed."
The group will ultimately need volunteers with non-medical skills, too. Treece said the other support for the Medical Reserve Corps will be recruited after medical professionals have been lined up.
Medical Reserve Corps groups formed across the country in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Counties need to be prepared to handle emergency situations on their own for roughly 72 hours, Treece said, in case there is a mass disaster that prevents federal aid from arriving.
Tippecanoe County has received $15,000 in federal grant money over the past two years to help with the formation of the Medical Reserve Corps.
"If something bad happens, you're going to be on your own. There's no help coming in. That's what we've got to prepare for," said Jeff Houston, the EMS coordinator for Tippecanoe Emergency Ambulance Service.