Medical Teams Sought for Disasters
By CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZEN, Seattle Times
Aug. 29–Local health professionals, current and retired, are being urged to join Snohomish County’s Medical Reserve Corps.
The goal is to secure at least 1,000 members; not just doctors, but individuals in many medical fields and professions.
The medical personnel would be part of a countywide team to handle care in the event of a natural disaster or pandemic-flu outbreak.
The Snohomish Health District, along with the county’s Department of Emergency Management, must coordinate medical care.
“We need medical personnel and support staff,” said Therese Quinn, an employee of the health district and the reserve-corps coordinator for Snohomish County. “We’re looking for doctors, nurses, technicians, veterinarians, dentists, therapists, mental-health counselors and EMTs — anybody who holds a license.”
So far, about 90 people have registered, Quinn said. Each either already is trained in CPR, first aid and defibrillator methods or is undergoing training. Volunteers also must pass a series of license and criminal-background checks.
The benefits of having a medical-reserve corps within the county are twofold, said John Pennington, director of the county’s emergency-management department.
First, it allows the county to prepare its response to incidents. Knowing who is available for an emergency means knowing what kind of help can be offered, Pennington said.
There also is a benefit for volunteers: State law eliminates any liability issues for a member of a county reserve corps.
“During any disaster, medical professionals are going to want to help, they’re going to want to show up at the scene,” Pennington said. “Having them registered helps us send them where they’re needed, and it protects them.”
The Medical Reserve Corps is a national effort that began after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Local emergency management began putting together plans for a team in 2004 and joined forces with the health district, Pennington said.
“The health department knows the numbers of people that will be needed for an event and how to control an outbreak,” he said. “We know how to organize and deploy teams as needed.”
To draw recruits, the health district works with the United Way and attends local seminars where medical personnel are sure to be present, Quinn said. But word-of-mouth has been the best way to sell the program, she said.
During the next year, much time will be spent adding to the numbers already committed to the medical reserve. Emergency management also is finalizing a plan that would divide the county into four sections for disbursement of supplies and people during a disaster.
Despite the relatively low number of volunteers so far, Quinn and Pennington say the county is prepared to handle a major disaster.
Plans already exist for response to a pandemic flu outbreak, and a stockpile of medical supplies exists.
Major flooding last year also gave Snohomish County a chance to see how well it is organized, Pennington said.
“We got lucky because there were no injuries,” he said. “But our response also says we’re far better prepared than we have been in past years.”
Christopher Schwarzen: 425-783-0577 or cschwarzen@seattletimes.com
Medical corps
To learn more about the county’s Medical Reserve Corps, contact Therese Quinn at 425-388-5075 or therese.quinn@co.snohomish.wa.gov. Information on the national program can be found at www.medicalreservecorps.gov.
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