|
|
|
      |
 Home > MRC Spotlights > Unit Spotlight - Winter 2008
When was the unit founded? The Southwest Utah MRC became an officially recognized Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) in June 2006. What drives the unit? The State of Utah as a whole focuses on emergency and family preparedness. Therefore, the main focus of the Southwest Utah MRC is to get volunteers personally prepared so that they are able to respond and support the community in an emergency. How many volunteers does the unit have? The Southwest Utah MRC has 81 volunteers. The mix of volunteers is fairly even between medical and non-medical professionals. How large is the unit's staff? The unit's staff consists of two MRC Coordinators. What are some of the unit's activities? The Southwest Utah MRC held trainings on Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) 700 in December 2007. Later this year the unit will begin holding trainings on a quarterly basis. Training will be conducted through the Johns Hopkins Road Map to Preparedness, which teaches training on weapons of mass destruction, risk communication, and making your own personal preparedness plan. The entire staff has participated and is working to get all MRC volunteers trained with this program. In October 2007, the unit participated for a second time in the Southwest Utah Public Health Department's annual flu shoot out. The main goal of this clinic is to exercise the Strategic National Stockpile Plan for Southwest Utah, and target the community's large senior population who benefit greatly from attending flu clinics. However, they may not be able to stand in line at clinics for long periods of time. In order to remedy this situation, the public can drive up in their cars and immediately receive vaccinations. A total of 10 MRC volunteers participated in this initiative. MRC nurses participated at the draw up table where they administered vaccinations, conducted triage, and educated the public. This was done in three out of five counties and had at least two MRC volunteers at each shoot out. In September 2007, the Southwest Utah MRC participated in the statewide SPHERE exercise involving the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). The MRC Coordinator sent out a message through the Utah Notification Information System (UNIS) to alert volunteers. The unit had 25 MRC volunteers participate; they were able to sort medication from the SNS exercise. In August 2007, the Southwest Utah MRC unit participated in the Dixie State College Volunteer Fair. The MRC also presented at the Region VII & VIII SNS conference. What are some of the unit's achievements? The Southwest Utah MRC has a lot of residents who are "snowbirds"; many of their volunteers live in Southwest Utah during the winter and leave before the hot summer months. In order to retain and recruit volunteers, the unit leader keeps in constant touch with volunteers through emails and a quarterly newsletter. The newsletter is sent out to volunteers as updates on unit events and trainings. It also provides reports about the advisory committee decisions and information from the MRC - In Focus newsletter. Sustainability for the MRC has also been a challenge. However, the unit has attained funds from a state health department grant that has allowed for the acquiring of equipment and stock pile of items to include vests, cots, blankets, pillows, first aid kits, and other medical supplies. The Southwest Utah MRC presently serves a five county region. The unit leadership is working to develop smaller units whose purpose would be to support the county where they live in an emergency. Currently the unit has at least one to two volunteers represented from each of these five counties. Interesting facts about the unit! Approximately 75% of Southwest Utah MRC volunteers are senior citizens. In December 2006, the Southwest Utah MRC ran an article about the MRC in the St. George Hispanic newspaper, El Sol. Both Southwest Utah MRC Coordinators present on Weapons of Mass Destruction and the MRC to nursing students at the Dixie State College each semester. In addition, each month the MRC Coordinator teaches at the county CERT training on bio-terrorism, pandemic influenza, and the MRC. The unit is able to recruit a large portion of their volunteers from these outreach and training efforts. Last Updated on 4/22/2008 |
     |