If disaster strikes Tulare, its medical response will be ready. That’s because the county has decided to enact a medical reserve corps. The corps, which is comprised of medical professionals who have offered to volunteer their skills for disaster response, would be activated should the need arise.
Now the county will begin recruiting members of the new reserve corps.
The program is modeled after scores of other citizen corps across the country. The teams will help the nation respond to natural or manmade disasters. When fully staffed, the Tulare corps will include doctors, nurses, and other medical staff, but will depend upon non-medical support as well. Nationally, the programs average 70% non-medical personnel.
From the Visalia Times Delta:
Recruitment could begin this month for medical professionals and others to become part of a volunteer emergency response team after the Tulare County Board of Supervisors approved the program Tuesday.
Dr. Karen Haught, county health officer, said recruitment will initially focus on doctors and nurses to join the Tulare Medical Reserve Corps.
Recruitment of others in medical and related fields will begin later, as will recruitment of volunteers with non-medical backgrounds who could help respond to events involving mass casualties and injuries.
Read the full article here.