Volunteers Protecting Central Virginia’s Health

Volunteers Protecting Central Virginia’s Health Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

You MUST take the post test in order to get credit for the orientation. The test is attached to your email, please send back to blueridgemrc@vaems.org after you have completed all questions. Please sign Liability and HIPPA and Confidentiality forms The Coordinator will contact you when your test has been received with further details on obtaining your MRC supplies and collecting the two forms, driver’s license, and copies of healthcare license/ certifications you may have. Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

What will you learn today? Define the Medical Reserve Corps Examine the mission of the MRC Describe the fundamentals of Public Health and Emergency Response Identify the ways the MRC fulfills its mission Identify your role and responsibilities as MRC volunteer Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

The MRC Program is a specialized component of the Department of Homeland Security’s Citizen Corps.Citizen Corps is a national network of volunteers dedicated to making sure their families homes and community are safe from terrorism, crime, and disasters of all kinds. Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Freedom Corps Umbrella USA Freedom Corps is a program under the Office of the White House. Started by President George Bush to help expand volunteer service around the U.S. Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

MRC History & Facts After “9-11”, a surge of “What can I do to help?” President Bush in 2002 created the USA Freedom Corps Sponsored by the Office of Surgeon General Blue Ridge MRC is supported by Centra Health and Central Virginia Health District Blue Ridge MRC office: Blue Ridge EMS Council Inc. Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

The mission of the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is to improve the health and safety of communities across the country by organizing and utilizing public health, medical and other volunteers. National MRC Logo: Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

MRC Concept Developed by the Office of Surgeon General Create system to pre-identify medical and public health volunteers in the community Prepare them in advance for emergencies Utilize them on an ongoing basis to strengthen the public health infrastructure Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

MRC Models No “Typical” MRC- Units are based on the needs and infrastructure of their community Different Geography Population Community government structure Health needs/ vulnerabilities Risks And other unique factors for that community Laws and local government structure One “size” does not fit all Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

MRC Models Continued… Units vary by: Number and types of volunteers (Medical and Support) Sponsor organization Mission and Focus Sponsor organizations All MRC units do: Provide an organizational structure for managing and utilizing members Pre-identify members Screen members (Collect copies of licensure/ certification) Orient, train, and prepare members Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

The Blue Ridge MRC’s mission is to prepare and engage community volunteers to support ongoing public health initiatives and emergencies in the Central Virginia Health District. Blue Ridge MRC Logo: Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Central Virginia Health District Encompasses counties of Bedford, Campbell, Amherst, Appomattox, and cities of Lynchburg and Bedford. Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Who are MRC volunteers? Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

“A volunteer is a person who believes that people can make a difference – and is willing to prove it.” -Anonymous Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Physicians Physician Assistants Nurse Practitioners RNs & LPNs Nurses Aides Pharmacists Mental Health Professionals Dentists Veterinarians Vet. Assistants Healthcare Volunteers Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Support Volunteers Teachers Clergy Social Workers Interpreters/ Translators Office & IT Telecommunications And Anyone that is willing to volunteer! Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Daily Public Health Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Supporting Community Public Healthcare Needs Mass Vaccinations Health Screenings (Ex: Blood, cholesterol, weight & height measurements) Healthcare Outreach & Education (Ex: Educating on emergency preparedness or healthy lifestyles in schools) Healthcare Services (Ex: At community/public events) Blue Angels Air Show – STIP Tent (May 2011) Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Public Health Activities and Events MRC Volunteers support public health events and festivals that are happening in the community MRC volunteers helping at the STIP tent at Blue Angels Air show in May 2011 Drive Thru Vaccination event during H1N1 in 2009 Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Public Health Emergencies Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

What emergencies has this community faced?Did you notice any healthcare needs?
Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Natural Disasters Hurricane Katrina August 2005 Hurricane Floyd, 1999 Pulaski tornado- April 2011 Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Terrorist Attacks (B) Oklahoma City Bombing (A)Twin Towers & (L) Pentagon 9-11 Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Terrorist Attacks Anthrax Attack, DC September 01 Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Technological/ Industrial Accidents Disasters caused by human intent, negligence, incompetence, or mechanical/ infrastructure failures (L)August 1, 2007: I-35W bridge in Minnesota suddenly collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring 145 (L) April 2010: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico (considered the largest offshore spill in U.S. history) (L) March 2011: Fukushima Nuclear Plant Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Hazardous Materials Incidents Come in the form of explosives, flammable and combustible substances, poisons, and radioactive materials Most often these materials are released as a result of transportation accidents or from chemical accidents in plants . (A) 2005, Graniteville, S.C- 9 deaths resulted from two trains colliding, with one transporting chlorine gas, sodium hydroxide, and cresol. (A) April 2007, Arizona- A truck collusion resulted leaking Dowthermal, a industrial coolant and very dangerous gas Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Large Outbreaks of Infectious Disease Pandemic influenza (H1N1) SARS Meningitis Food borne illness Tuberculosis Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Personal and Family Preparedness Be Ready! Get a kit, make a plan, and get informed Go to Ready.gov to learn how to better prepare you and your family today! Before you are able to help in a disaster, ensuring you and your family are prepared and safe is priority number one! Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Emergency Preparedness and Response Mission To effectively respond to any emergency impacting public health, through preparation, collaboration, education, and rapid intervention Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

VDH in Emergencies Primary agency responsible for health and medical services during an emergency in Virginia Public health communication Disease Prevention Medicine and vaccine dispensing Providing Shelter Support Coordinating resources for mass patient care Radiological, nuclear, or chemical response Fatality investigations Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

An Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) outlines the roles of the participants, protocol for implementation, and how to respond to particular events. Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Community Teamwork Law Enforcement Hospitals/Clinics EMS Medical Examiner Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Emergency Manager Fire Service Laboratories HAZMAT Social Services Medical and Public Health Disaster Responders Community Services Board Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

MRC in Emergency Response POD support- Medication or Vaccine Administrations Shelter support: medical screening/ evaluation Volunteer coordination at the disaster site Interpretation Responding to Community Inquiries and concerns Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

What is a POD? A Point of Dispensing (POD)is a community based dispensing point for vaccinations or medications A POD is also known as a dispensing site, dispensing clinic, medication clinic, or community emergency medication clinic POD Mission: Decrease the number of individuals within a community who may become ill Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

How are MRC volunteers requestedin Emergencies? MRC volunteers are requested by the Central Virginia Health Director Volunteers are contacted and requested to deploy for specific duties through our Virginia Volunteer Health System (VVHS) alerting system via phone and/ or email (*Later discussed in the PowerPoint presentation) Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

MRC Activation Always Voluntary When deployed, you represent the MRC in professional manner Follow your deployment instructions Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

MRC in Emergencies DO NOT respond to any emergency unless requested. Volunteers who do so will be removed from the unit and will be held liable for any actions they take. Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Volunteering with the MRC Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Volunteer Responsibilities Register online (Which you have done!) Be prepared to work in a high-risk environment Know the MRC policies Agree to screening, references, credentials and background checks Volunteer time, service, expertise Act as MRC Ambassador/Recruiter Complete online courses through VATRAIN Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Sample of MRC Core Competencies IS 100 – Incident Command IS 700 – National Incident Management System IS 22- Personal Preparedness/ Terrorism Security Awareness Orientation VA TRAIN- Where MRC volunteers complete these core competencies Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

What is TRAIN Virginia? This is the place to register and track all of your training! Search engine for training courses in all areas (Ex: public health, emergency management, hazmat, communication, marketing, mental health, and much more!) Creates a training transcript of all completed courses Obtain Free CEUs as well! Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Liability and Risk Management for MRC and VDH Volunteers Code of Virginia § 44-146.23 (Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Services and Disaster Law of 2000) MRC volunteers while engaged in emergency service and activities should be immune from liability for negligence caused when providing medical and health services so long as they are doing so under supervision of the VDH Emergency includes the threat of an occurrence that could cause substantial harm, preparing for disasters, and the prevention if injury Additionally, during an emergency, those volunteers who are licensed or certified to render health care services should receive immunity from negligence when they gratuitously render aid using their skills Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Code of Virginia § 2.2-3600 et seq., (State Government Volunteers Act) MRC volunteers may enjoy the protection of the Commonwealth’s sovereign immunity if they are deemed to be a volunteer of VDH Code of Virginia § 8.01-225.01 May provide protection from liability in cases where a provider is alleged to have abandoned his own patients while helping out in a declared emergency Code of Virginia § 8.01-225.02 May provide certain liability protection for health care providers during declared disasters In the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct, any health care provider who responds to a disaster shall not be liable for any injury or wrongful death of any person arising from the delivery or withholding of health care when (i) a state or local emergency has been or is subsequently declared in response to such disaster, and (ii) the emergency and subsequent conditions caused a lack of resources, attributable to the disaster, rendering the health care provider unable to provide the level or manner of care that otherwise emergency and which resulted in the injury or wrongful death at issue Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Virginia Code § § 8.01- 225 et seq., the “Good Samaritan Act” MRC volunteers (and others) should be immune from liability for harm caused when providing emergency care to ill or injured persons at the scene of an accident, fire or any life-threatening emergency Federal Law: Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) Pub. L. 109-148 If the MRC’s activities relate to the dispensing of drugs or devices in an emergency situation, the PREP Act might apply During a public health emergency, the Secretary of HHS may appoint MRC volunteers as intermittent disaster response personnel, which grants them the legal protections when they are working within the scope of their Federal employment as members of the MRC federal deployment cadre (http://www.medicalreservecorps.gov/MRCDeployment/FAQ/LegalProtections) Virginia Medical Reserve Corps volunteers are covered by VDH’s Risk Management policy for daily public health activities when under the direction of VDH and abiding by VDH volunteer policies (Virginia Code 2.2-1837 and 2.2-1840) This includes up to $2 million in Tort/Medical Malpractice Liability and up to $10,000 for medical payment claims Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

What is HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)? VDH must protect an individual’s health information Act protects the privacy of an individual’s health information Sets national standards for the security and confidentiality of electronic protected health information Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

HIPAA for MRC Volunteers As a student or volunteer performing duties for the Virginia Department of Health, you will have access to the protected health information (PHI) of patients It is illegal to disclose PHI outside the scope of your student/ volunteer duties You must access only the minimum amount of PHI necessary to care for a patient or to carry out an assignment More information on HIPAA is available at www.HIPAA.org Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

HIPAA for MRC Volunteers Please review the guidelines on the HIPAA Form. Please sign the HIPPA, Liability, and Confidentiality Volunteer Forms Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

We need more Volunteers! If you know of a potential volunteer who is caring, committed, and reliable, let them know about the Blue Ridge MRC! Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Thank You for Protecting the Health of Central Virginia! Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Virginia Volunteer Health System (VVHS) The next slides will go over the Virginia Volunteer Health System (VVHS When you come into the office to hand in your paperwork, we will go over additional VVHS questions and clarifications Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Step 1: Go to www.vamrc.org Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Step 2: Login into VVHS Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Login Screen Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Step 3: Change Password Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Welcome Screen Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Step 4: Change My Profile Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Step 4: Change My Profile: Volunteer Details Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Step 4: Change My Profile: Credentials Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Step 4: Change Your Profile: Emergency Contact Details Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Step 5: Alert History Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Receiving and Confirming Alerts To confirm an alert: Answer phone saying “Hello” and listen to automated greeting. Press any key to continue. When prompted, enter your 4 digit alerting security code. After entering alerting security code, listen to message. After listening to entire message, press 1 to confirm or press 2 to repeat. NOTE: When receiving an alert, the following phone number will appear on your phone display: 804-541-4620 Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Sample Alert Lindsay Mackey,What: Terrorism Security Awareness Orientation Where: Central Virginia Health Department When: Wednesday, March 16 from 6:00PM-8:00PM This basic awareness course is designed to orient volunteers on the subject of terrorism, to provide basic prevention and self-protection techniques and to familiarize volunteers with their role and their agencies' role in responding to emergencies. This training will be through a webinar system and will be taught at the Kao circle address. The instructor is a State training coordinator. A minimum of 5 volunteers must be registered for the training to be held. Click here to indicate your Availability for this AlertThank You for Volunteering to Protect Virginia's Health!Regards,LINDSAY MACKETCENTRAL VIRGINIA MRCEmail: LINDSAY@VAEMS.ORGPhone: 434-221-3442 Click Here!! Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Step 6: Change Pin Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Step 7: Unsubscribe Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Temporarily Unavailable Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Step 8: Help Blue Ridge Medical Reserve Corps

Volunteers Protecting Central Virginia’s Health