By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Across the nation, health care workers are expected to be swamped by COVID-19 patients. So before the tidal wave hits here, Wood County residents are being asked to sign up to help.
Last year – before coronavirus was a household word – the Wood County Health Department provided training for volunteers wanting to serve in the Medical Reserve Corps.
“This is the real world event we set up that program to be ready for,” said Alex Aspacher, community outreach coordinator for the Wood County Health Department.
“We anticipate this is going to overwhelm the healthcare system,” he said.
But unlike disasters in the past – such as tornadoes – the coronavirus pandemic poses a whole different level of challenges.
Aspacher is putting out the call for current MRC members, and is asking additional people interested in helping to sign up now at http://www.woodcountyhealth.org/ep/mrc.html.
“So when we do issue that call, people are ready to go,” he said.
The MRC program is particularly interested in people with healthcare skills. But also sought are people who can direct traffic, fill out forms, and make phone calls.
“That shouldn’t be a barrier for anybody,” Aspacher said.
“Everybody wants to help,” he said. “We want them to consider if they can actually be of assistance.”
People volunteering must be at least 18 years old, and will be asked to list their qualifications. Basic training for the program can be done online at home – “so we know who is proficient at what, before we need them,” Aspacher said.
The health department is still considering exactly how the MRC volunteers may be asked to help.
“We’re still kind of working through what we’ll need people to do,” Aspacher said. “Everybody’s role will be based on their individual skills.”
Medical Reserve Corps were first created after Sept. 11, 2001, when it was realized just how helpful citizen responders could be before professional first responders arrive. The training is designed by Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Since then, the Medical Reserve Corps have been deployed nationally for preparedness, response and recovery for disasters like hurricanes, and medical emergencies like the H1N1 flu which required drive-thru flu vaccination clinics to be set up.
Nationwide there are more than 200,000 MRC members. Last year in Wood County, the volunteers numbered about 50.
“These people come from all different backgrounds,” Aspacher said last year.
And those people are trained so they have some idea how to best help in an emergency.
“We have a pool of people, so we don’t have to rush through things during an emergency,” he said. “The most important quality is being available and showing up.”
