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 Home > MRC Spotlights > Volunteer Spotlight - March 2006
MRC Unit Focus The focus of the Upper Merrimack Valley MRC (UMV MRC) is to: 1) assist with public health emergencies, including the distribution of life-saving vaccines; 2) assist with mass casualty incidents; and 3) sponsor community service activities, which enhance public health and safety. Currently, the unit has 342 members who have an expanding range of skills. The unit is very active: last fall, more than 100 members participated in MRC trainings and events during a 2-month period. Volunteer Background Information Pauline Ray has worked as a registered nurse for 30 years. What did the Volunteer do to be in the Spotlight? According to unit leaders Nancy Burns and Sandra Collins, Ms. Ray was among the UMV MRC unit’s first 20 volunteers. She helped at the unit’s first flu clinic and has proactively offered her assistance between scheduled activities. She attends trainings, participates in drills, assists at clinics, and deployed to Otis Air Force Base to help Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Sandra Collins noted that Ms. Ray is the prime example of an MRC volunteer. She is prepared to apply her expertise and commitment to help a community and others in a time of urgent need. Nancy Burns indicated that throughout all of her interactions with Ms. Ray, she has always been the type of volunteer they seek to involve in the MRC. When and Why did the Volunteer join the MRC? Ms. Ray has been with the UMV MRC since it started in June 2004. The primary motivation for joining the unit was to work in her local community. Ms. Ray had previously volunteered to help the health department before the UMV MRC was formed. She is constantly broadening her horizons and helping in her local community. What Activities has the Volunteer Participated in With the MRC Unit? Ms. Ray was among the first class of graduates, in October 2004, to complete the four-module American Red Cross Disaster Training. In 2005, she also participated in Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment training and in a smallpox certification course. She volunteered at health fairs, exhibiting for the UMV MRC and providing medical screening to the public. Ms. Ray also participated in a 2005 mock disaster drill in Lowell, Massachusetts. She deployed to Otis Air Force Base in Massachusetts in the fall of 2005. It was her first experience volunteering for a disaster. She worked for 1 day as camp nurse, providing triage care, immunizations, and health screening to hurricane evacuees from Louisiana. It was a wonderful experience for Ms. Ray to help evacuees in her community and make a difference to people far from their homes. Fun Facts Ms. Ray has substituted as a school nurse and actively volunteers in her church. Ms. Ray’s nursing career has ranged from working in the Intensive Care Unit to being a Nurse Manager of a family planning clinic and an allergy clinic. Last Updated on 5/25/2006 |
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