KING COUNTY, WA – Volunteers are invited to join a new Public Health Reserve Corps which provides a way for health professionals and other support volunteers to augment and work beside Public Health staff during an emergency response. In announcing the new program today, Public Health – Seattle & King County was joined by partners representing health and health professional organizations.
“In major disasters and epidemics, public health has a critical role in saving lives and reducing illness. The Public Health Reserve Corps provides a new way for health professionals and other volunteers to offer their skills in helping our community be better prepared when disasters strike,” said Dorothy Teeter, Interim Director and Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County.
Volunteers in the Public Health Reserve Corps will be recruited, prescreened and trained, and will be called upon if needed for emergency response in King County. Public Health Reserve Corps volunteers will support critical Public Health emergency response activities:
- Dispensing medications and vaccinations
- Conducting health assessments
- Disease surveillance
To learn more about the job activities and to apply on-line, visit the Public Health Reserve Corps web site at www.metrokc.gov/health/phreservecorps.
For the initial recruitment, the Public Health Reserve Corps is particularly in need of the following medical volunteers licensed in Washington state:
- Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
- Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners
- Registered Nurses
- Licensed Practical Nurses
- Physicians
Non-medical support volunteers are also invited to apply. Anyone who is 18 years old or older, works well in stressful situations, has good customer service skills, and works well in a team is eligible to serve. Support activities will include assisting with paperwork, greeting, directing and managing the flow of people through a medication center, providing information about a disease or condition, and providing interpretation services.
A wide range of health and health professional organizations are supporting the Public Health Reserve Corps, including the Washington State Pharmacy Association, the Washington State Nurses Association, the King County Medical Society and the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine.
"Pharmacists are well positioned throughout the community and equipped with the skills to aid in patient assessment, medication distribution, and immunization provision,” said Rod Shafer, R.Ph., Chief Executive Officer for the Washington State Pharmacy Association. “We support the organized, coordinated approach that Public Health - Seattle & King County has taken to put good systems in place that have volunteers identified, trained and ready to be mobilized in case of emergency.”
"Registered nurses have a long and proud history of responding to the call for help in times of disaster and emergency. WSNA is a proud partner of this initiative which will allow us to efficiently identify and deploy the appropriate health care providers in times of critical need," said Judy Huntington, MN, RN, Executive Director of the Washington State Nurses Association.
“We can never know when a major disaster will strike or how severe it will be, and so planning for such events will, of necessity, be imperfect. What we do know, however, is the public will count on physicians and other health professionals to respond regardless of the circumstances, and this is why the King County Medical Society strongly supports the creation of the Public Health Reserve Corps,” said James P. Harnisch, M.D., Public Health Liaison Committee Chairman for the King County Medical Society.
"As one of the nation's top institutions for training health science professionals, the UW is uniquely positioned to serve as a resource for the Public Health Reserve Corps," said Dr. Mark Oberle, associate dean for Public Health Practice and professor of Epidemiology and Health Services in the School of Public Health & Community Medicine. "This new program expands the university's working relationship with state and local health institutions to be one of the region's health responders in the event of a catastrophe."
All applicants will receive a background check and will have the opportunity to ask questions about the program with Public Health Reserve Corps staff prior to registering. Volunteers will receive liability protection and compensation for injury or death during an emergency response through the State of Washington's Emergency Worker Program.
The Public Health Reserve Corps is designed to complement other emergency preparedness activities by local health care and other institutions throughout the region. For emergencies that have broad impacts across the health care system and other sectors, the Public Health Reserve Corps expects that a person’s first responsibility will be to his or her employer.
The Public Health Reserve Corps is just one of several Medical Reserve Corps programs in Washington State. For individuals outside of King County who want to assist in emergency response, learn more at www.medicalreservecorps.gov/state.asp?state=56.
Providing effective and innovative health and disease prevention services for over 1.8 million residents and visitors of King County, Public Health – Seattle & King County works for safer and healthier communities for everyone, every day.
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