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Pharmacists needed for emergency response team
he county is taking steps to ensure its prepared in the event of a pandemic or biological attack by recruiting volunteer nurses and pharmacists.
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Don Hayduk, Livingston Countys emergency preparedness coordinator, said the county already has 200 nurses on its Public Health Volunteer Response Team, which was established in 2006, and it is just starting to recruit pharmacists, preferably those that live and work in the area.
The greater the pool we can build, the better we can be prepared, Hayduk said. Better to be prepared ahead of time, than to be in a reactive mode.
In the event of an emergency, such as an Anthrax attack or virus outbreak, the team will issue an alert with details as to how many volunteers are needed, where they will be sent and what skills or type of people are being requested.
Those on the team are privy to special training sessions. To sign up, contact Jennifer Kramer at (517) 552-6819 or at [email protected].
The team was most recently partially activated during the recent H1N1 influenza outbreak, with several volunteers manning a phone bank and answering questions from the public.
That resource allowed health officials to focus more closely on case investigations and day-to-day operations during the outbreak.
The request for help already has Fowlerville Pharmacy owner Bob Phipps on board.
To me, its very worthwhile, Phipps said. Itd be nice to have a group of people who could say Its OK, we have it under control, as opposed to oh, God, what are we going to do?
Hayduk said future plans could include adding veterinarians and primary care physicians, although the focus now ins on recruiting pharmacists. He hopes to establish a pool of pharmacists by the fall.
Even though the county is taking steps to prepare for a potential disaster, Hayduk said preparation should start in the home.
They have to be able to stand on their own for 72 hours in the case of an emergency, Hayduk said.
he county is taking steps to ensure its prepared in the event of a pandemic or biological attack by recruiting volunteer nurses and pharmacists.
Advertisement
Don Hayduk, Livingston Countys emergency preparedness coordinator, said the county already has 200 nurses on its Public Health Volunteer Response Team, which was established in 2006, and it is just starting to recruit pharmacists, preferably those that live and work in the area.
The greater the pool we can build, the better we can be prepared, Hayduk said. Better to be prepared ahead of time, than to be in a reactive mode.
In the event of an emergency, such as an Anthrax attack or virus outbreak, the team will issue an alert with details as to how many volunteers are needed, where they will be sent and what skills or type of people are being requested.
Those on the team are privy to special training sessions. To sign up, contact Jennifer Kramer at (517) 552-6819 or at [email protected].
The team was most recently partially activated during the recent H1N1 influenza outbreak, with several volunteers manning a phone bank and answering questions from the public.
That resource allowed health officials to focus more closely on case investigations and day-to-day operations during the outbreak.
The request for help already has Fowlerville Pharmacy owner Bob Phipps on board.
To me, its very worthwhile, Phipps said. Itd be nice to have a group of people who could say Its OK, we have it under control, as opposed to oh, God, what are we going to do?
Hayduk said future plans could include adding veterinarians and primary care physicians, although the focus now ins on recruiting pharmacists. He hopes to establish a pool of pharmacists by the fall.
Even though the county is taking steps to prepare for a potential disaster, Hayduk said preparation should start in the home.
They have to be able to stand on their own for 72 hours in the case of an emergency, Hayduk said.
