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Chesterfield Health District Medical Reserve Corps Unit Profile

Community/Jurisdiction Served:

Virginia - Chesterfield County, Powhatan County

The Chesterfield Health District includes the counties of Chesterfield and Powhatan and the City of Colonial Heights, Virginia.

Sponsoring Organization:

Chesterfield Health District/Virginia Department of Health

Date Established:

3/1/2007

Unit Information:

9501 Lucy Corr Circle
P.O. Box 100
Chesterfield, VA 23832

Contact Information:

Jon Donnelly
P.O. Box 100
Chesterfield, VA 23832
Phone: (804) 768-7292
Cell: (804) 652-9970

Profile:

The Chesterfield Health District Medical Reserve Corps (CHD/MRC) started recruiting and training Volunteers in September 2006. At that time we were known as the Chesterfield Health District Citizen Reserve Corps. The CHD/MRC serves the counties of Chesterfield and Powhatan and the City of Colonial Heights in Central Virginia. Our major partners are the other local health departments within the Virginia Department of Health, the localities that we serve, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, and our friends in two other Chesterfield County Citizen Corps organizations: Community Emergency Response Team and Neighborhood Watch. Currently we are seeking and training additional healthcare professionals (Healthcare Volunteers) and non-healthcare personnel (Support Volunteers). We maintain a 12-month training program for new and established members. In addition to attending a wide range of training and continuing education programs, CHD/MRC Volunteers also have participated in the Virginia Department of Health's emergency exercises for 2006, 2007 and 2008. The CHD/MRC will continue to have a monthly continuing education program in 2010 that includes both core competencies and topics on related public health and public safety subjects. We maintain a steady flow of electronic and print information to our Volunteers including a bi-monthly news letter, The Source. Monthly activity reports also are available upon request.

Volunteer Count:

Physicians	4
Physician Assistants	0
Nurse Practitioners	3
Nurses	68
Pharmacists	10
Dentists	1
Veterinarians	0
Mental Health Professionals	2
EMS Professionals	11
Respiratory Therapists	0
Other Public Health/Medical	4
Non-Public Health/Non-Medical	107
Total	210

Recent Activities:

7/27/2010
The Chesterfield Health District Medical Reserve Corps (CHD/MRC) maintained its summer program of classes to orient our newest -- and re-orient our established -- members to the CHD and the MRC. Attendees are given an opportunity to ask questions and recommend any changes they see fit. In addition to the classes held in June and on July 27, additional 90-minute member orientation classes are set for Aug. 24 and Sept. 29.

6/30/2010
As part of its efforts to bring all members up to current membership standards, an initial class was held to orient our newest members O to the Chesterfield Health District and the MRC. The 90-minute class is a give and take session with new members invited to ask questions and to receive important information about being a volunteer and a CHD/MRC Volunteer. A morning and an evening session were held to attract these members. Six additional classes, morning and evening, are scheduled in July, August and September

6/5/2010
A team of eight Chesterfield Health District Medical Reserve Corps volunteers, including two physicians and two nurses, provided emergency medical coverage for the 2010 Chesterfield County Girls on the Run 5k Run/Walk, held on Saturday, June 5, at the Chesterfield County Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The 5K run/walk started at the Fairgrounds and wound around through the courthouse complex and along neighboring hiking trails. The CHD/MRC volunteers operated in two four-member teams along the course. Each team was comprised of a physician, a nurse and two Support Volunteers. In addition to points of medical care, each station served as a hydration point for the participants, who were out in temperatures in the upper 80s. The Chesterfield County Health Department, Chesterfield County Public Schools and the Coalition for Active Children (COACH) are partners in providing a prevention program for girls called Girls on the Run. The coaches provide the 12-week, 24-session program in two elementary schools and five middle schools in Chesterfield County. The curriculum promotes healthy behaviors and achieving a positive self-image through discussion, activities, community services projects and running. The program culminates in the 5K Run/Walk, celebrating the goals achieved by the girls during the program.

5/1/2010
A series of emergency preparedness presentations were held during May by representatives of the Chesterfield Health District’s Medical Reserve Corps (CHD/MRC) and the Chesterfield County Community Emergency Preparedness Team (CERT). This is a continuation of the joint Are You Ready? preparedness classes held by both groups during September and October 2009. The joint May programs involved information displays that were staffed by teams of CHD/MRC Volunteers and CERT Volunteers on May 5 and 6, May 8 and May 22. The team members answered questions and handed out materials prepared by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s Ready Virginia program, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Virginia Department of Health. More than 575 individual brochures were handed out to citizens. In addition, the programs included a home emergency kit display where people could see and examine recommended items they may need in the aftermath of a disaster or health emergency. The primary goals of these joint displays are to encourage citizens to prepare well in advance for natural disasters or public health E emergencies, and to be able to survive in the hours following such events when professional rescuers may not be immediately available. A related goal is to make residents of Chesterfield and Powhatan counties and the city of Colonial Heights more aware of the CHD/MRC and CERT programs, among the more active volunteer organizations in the area. The presentations were made at the Chesterfield Senior TRIAD on May 5, the Chesterfield County Employees Health Fair on May 5 and 6; the Woodlake Girl Scouts Are You Ready? fair on May 8, and the Sheltering Arms Senior Health Fair on May 22.

4/29/2010
Members of the Chesterfield Health District/Medical Reserve Corps on April 29 honored their fellow volunteers for their service during the H1N1 flu emergency in the fall of 2009 and early 2010. Among the 45 members and guests was Dr. Leah Bush, Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia who was the program speaker for the MRC Volunteer Appreciation dinner meeting. Members who volunteered to staff on-site and remote vaccination clinics received a local CHD/MRC Certificate of Appreciation from the District health Director, Dr. William Nelson, a state appreciation certificate and an H1N1 Hero pin provided by the Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps, Office of the Surgeon General. Nearly a quarter of the CHD/MRC membership volunteered to staff clinics during the crisis. Their efforts were more significant given that clinics at the three health departments, schools and remote sites were held during weekday hours. Dr. Bush was made the first honorary member of the CHD/MRC.

Last Updated on 8/10/2010