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Unit Spotlight - April 2006

Unit Name:	County of Sonoma, Dept. of Health Services MRC
Contact Information:	625 Fifth Street Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Point of Contact:	Gabrielle C. Trubach – MRC Coordinator
Phone:	(707) 565-4427
E-mail:	gtrubach@sonoma-county.org
Web site:	http://www.sonoma-county.org/mrc

When was the Unit Founded?

The County of Sonoma, Dept. of Health Services MRC was registered in September 2003 and held training the following December.

What Drives the Unit?

The focus of the County of Sonoma, Dept. of Health Services MRC is to provide trained licensed medical professionals and support volunteers to provide surge capacity during a public health emergency.

How Many Volunteers Does the Unit Have?

The unit has 567 volunteers, consisting of 56 physicians, 32 pharmacists, 397 nurses, and 82 support staff.

How Large is the Unit’s Staff?

The County of Sonoma, Dept. of Health Services MRC staff consists of a half-time MRC Coordinator.

Why was the Unit Selected?

The County of Sonoma, Dept. of Health Services MRC is a great example of an MRC unit that integrates into public health and emergency response exercises and planning of the local community. In addition, the unit also is adept at promoting the MRC to other communities.

What are Some of the Unit’s Activities?

County of Sonoma, Dept. of Health Services MRC volunteers are invited to participate in monthly Grand Rounds, which are the County’s Public Health training activities.
For the past 2 years, the County of Sonoma, Dept. of Health Services MRC volunteers have been involved in a “Respiratory Hygiene Program.” Volunteers are trained to visit schools and teach hygiene etiquette to prevent the spread of influenza among children. The program has been a great success—approximately 4,000 children have been involved in the program.
During the summer of 2005, County of Sonoma, Dept. of Health Services MRC volunteered at a local weekly outdoor market and staffed a public health booth to educate the community on protecting against the West Nile virus.
In 2005, the County of Sonoma, Dept. of Health Services MRC collaborated with the Sonoma County Flu Task Force to plan and staff a countywide flu shot clinic, where MRC volunteers clocked 460 volunteer hours and provided 3,000 flu vaccinations to low-income individuals.
June 23, 2005, 100 County of Sonoma, Dept. of Health Services MRC volunteers participated in a mass dispensing site exercise.

What are Some of the Unit’s Achievements?

The County of Sonoma, Dept. of Health Services MRC annually tracks and reports their volunteer hours to their Board of Supervisors. In 2005, MRC volunteers contributed 1,900 hours of direct community service and training; 600 of these hours were direct community service.

In June 2005, the County of Sonoma, Dept. of Health Services MRC enhanced their volunteer database, creating automatically updated reports for monthly credential verification, languages spoken, mailing labels, and MDS worker sign-in sheets. In addition, the unit developed a credentialing verification procedure and monthly credential verification worksheet.

The unit has a great response from volunteers who want to participate in training and activities.

During the 2005 Hurricane Response, the County of Sonoma, Dept. of Health Services MRC referred interested MRC volunteers to assist the local American Red Cross conduct health screenings of volunteers who would be deployed to the hurricane-affected areas.

Interesting Facts

The County of Sonoma, Dept. of Health Services MRC volunteers participate in a 3-hour orientation training. The training includes an introduction of the MRC in Sonoma County; the county Public Health Emergency Response Plan; the roles and responsibilities of volunteers; the notification system of volunteers; and a course on “Category A” bioterrorism agents, which is conducted by an infectious disease control officer.

On June 3, 2006, the unit will be holding the symposium “Are You Ready? Your Emergency Volunteer Role.” Participants will discuss lessons learned from the 2005 mass dispensing exercise, steps to emergency response readiness, examples of potential volunteer assignments, geographic planning for Sonoma County, and new directions for the MRC.

The County of Sonoma, Dept. of Health Services MRC has expanded the number of volunteers since July 2005 by approximately 38 percent.

Last Updated on 5/25/2006