Worcester Regional Medical Reserve Corps Liz Foley Coordinator

Worcester Regional Medical Reserve Corps Liz Foley, Coordinator

Worcester Regional MRC

What is the MRC? n The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) was founded after President Bush’s 2002 State of the Union Address in which he asked all Americans to volunteer in support of their country. n The program is federally recognized and operates under direct control of the Surgeon General’s office. n Why the MRC? The MRC provides the structure necessary to preidentify, credential, train, and activate medical and public health volunteers. Engages volunteers to strengthen public health, emergency response, and community resiliency 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 3

What is the MRC? • 985 MRC Units in the United States • 46 Units in MA § 91. 16% of population covered § 73. 69% of US area covered 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 4

Who is the MRC? n Over 204, 759 volunteers nationwide Ø Physicians Ø Physician Assistants Ø Nurse Practitioners Ø Registered Nurses Ø Dentists Ø Veterinarians Ø Clergy 3/19/2018 Ø Pharmacists Ø Mental Health Professionals Ø EMTs and Paramedics Ø Epidemiologists Ø Health Educators Ø Social Workers Ø Non-Medical Professionals Worcester Regional MRC 5

VOLUNTEERS OF PUBLIC HEALTH 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 6

The Worcester Regional MRC (WRMRC) n Created by the Worcester Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) in 2006 n The WRMRC is overseen by Worcester Division of Public Health n 3 Units Cover 74 towns in the Massachusetts Public Health Region 2 n Recruits medical and non-medical professionals to volunteer to assist in the event of a local or regional emergency 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 7

Cities and towns covered by WRMRC 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 8

Other MRCs in this Region Wachusett MRC Greater Grafton MRC P. O. Box 555 Hubbardston, MA 01452 978 -928 -4086 wachusettmrc@juno. com 30 Providence Road Grafton, MA 01519 508 -839 -5335 ext. 128 www. town. grafton. ma. us 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 9

Worcester Regional MRC n Mission: Provide public health volunteer medical services that supplement existing resources in case of disaster n Key Areas: promote public health and safety n n n 3/19/2018 1. Public Health Emergencies 2. Mass Casualty Incidents 3. Community Service Activities Worcester Regional MRC 10

n MRC volunteers agree to deploy after they have fulfilled their obligations to Their families n Their work n Worcester Regional MRC

What We Offer • Monthly orientation • Monthly training (core competency) n Orientation n Basic First Aid n BLS CPR/AED or BLS for Healthcare Professional n ICS-100 (Incident Command System) n NIMS-700 n Emergency Dispensing Sites (EDS) Operations n Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) n Mental Health Aspects of Emergencies and Disasters for Non-Mental Health Professionals 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 12

Core Competencies n Objectives Personal Preparedness n Chain of Command n Role of local MRC Unit n Volunteer Communication n Mental Health impact of events n Procedures n Volunteer roles and limitations n 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 13

Public Health Emergencies Preparedness and Response Drills/exercises n Real events n 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 14

Mass Casualty Incidents n Medical volunteers may be asked to assist with triage and treatment of victims at the scene of a mass casualty incident. n Non-medical volunteers can assist with dispensing equipment at the scene. 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 15

Community Service n Blood pressure screening/preventive health events n Health fairs n First aid tents 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 16

Deployment/Activation Details n WRMRC will receive a request for assistance n Automated alerting system will be activated n Volunteers will follow directions given by the automated system. Or n Volunteers will be notified by E-mail with specific instructions 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 17

Deployment/Activation Details n Id badges provided to all volunteers n Volunteers must be personally prepared: Appropriate clothing, any personal items that are needed including medications and personal snacks. n Typically a debriefing will take place after large scale incidents 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 18

Personal Preparedness www. ready. gov n Be prepared to exist for first 72 -hours after a disaster n Plan kit according to individual and family needs n Are you elderly? Do you have a baby? Other special considerations? n Inventory contents every 6 months; make changes as necessary n Seasonal changes, expiration dates 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 19

“Go Kit” Contents Water Food First Aid Tools Household Supplies Clothing Bedding Flashlight/Radio Medication Batteries Comfort Items Specific Needs 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 20

Additional training and resources n Memorandum of Understanding with the Red Cross n n Shelter Operations/Shelter Simulations Courses hosted by other MRCs Other courses and training events at state and national level MRC “handbook” 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 21

Liability Protection Massachusetts Department of Public Health Volunteers and Liability Handout n Federal Volunteer Protection Act n n Doctors and Nurses Working in Public Health Programs n n Various provisions of Mass. General Laws Protection for EMS Personnel n n Mass. General Laws, Chapter 112, 12 C Good Samaritan Laws n n 42 U. S. C 14501. Mass. General Laws, chapter 111 C, 21 Protection for Public Employees n 3/19/2018 Mass. Tort Claims Act, General Laws, chapter 258 Worcester Regional MRC 22

Liability Protection Deployment Expectations: n Follow the chain of command. n Stick to assigned duties. n Don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with – no matter who asks you. n Working with other MRCs in the State to lobby for expansion of the coverage of the Good Samaritan Act 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 23

MA Responds Statewide Database - Created to pre-register, manage, mobilize existing clinical and non-clinical volunteers - Helps responding to all types of disasters efficient. n n n 3/19/2018 Volunteers have the opportunity to create a profile Website has the ability to send various notifications (message, email, call, text) CORIs/SORIs done and Credentialing will be kept current Worcester Regional MRC 24

Badging n Each volunteer will receive a badge. n The badge will be color coded by professional category. n n Medical Personnel - Red Basic Medical Personnel (medical personnel that are not able to administer medications i. e. EMT's, physical therapists, occupational therapists, etc. ) - Blue Mental Health Personnel - Purple Non-Medical Personnel- Green 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 25

Should you become a volunteer with the MRC? v Flexible time commitment v Free trainings v Opportunities to participate in community events v Ability to volunteer should you wish during large scale emergencies and disasters 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 26

Finally. . . §We can never have too many volunteers! §Disasters are never what you expect! §We need to be prepared for severe weather events! 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 27

Find out more… Websites Worcester. Regional. MRC. org MAmedicalreservecorps. org Medicalreservecorps. gov Social Media Facebook - Worcester Regional Medical Reserve Corps (WRMRC) Twitter @WRMRC 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 28

Questions? 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 29

For More Information… n n Visit website: Worcester. Regional. MRC. org Or contact: Liz Foley Worcester Regional Medical Reserve Corps c/o Department of Public Health 25 Meade St. Office 206 Worcester, MA 01610 (508) 799 -8470 Efoley@worcesterregionalmrc. org 3/19/2018 Worcester Regional MRC 30