SMC MRC NEWSLETTER - JULY 1, 2009
Some people were not able to attend the SMC MRC meeting on Saturday, June 27th, so this newsletter will summarize the meeting and also provide other items of interest. We had 23 members attend the meeting.
NEW MEMBERS: (since our March meeting)
3 new applications are pending; All are RNs
COMPLETION OF MEMBER APPLICATIONS: Some applications are still lacking signatures, copies of professional licenses, certificates of completion of the ICS courses, fingerprinting, etc. DSW ID cards cannot be issued until the applications are complete. A few members have also not registered on the Disaster Healthcare Volunteers of California website.
“BY-LAWS” and “POLICIES & PROCEDURES”: These documents were recently completed and signed by the Steering Committee members. Copies were sent out by email and will also be posted on the SMCMRC.ORG website. Some pertinent items include:
· All SMC MRC members will now be required to complete CERT training within 1 year of membership. This may be done through any of the Bay Area Fire Department courses.
· All members will be required to attend at least 1 meeting or drill per year.
· Members that resign or become inactive must return their MRC vests, DSW ID cards, and backpacks to the HMB Police Department.
· Steering Committee members will serve staggered 2-year terms.
CERT TRAINING: CERT training is now required for all MRC members. Battalion chief, David Cosgrave of the HMB Fire Department has completed a great CERT class for 24 of our SMC MRC members. Currently, 38 of our 52 members are CERT-trained. Those that still need training can signup online for future CERT classes at the fire departments in HMB, Daly City, Foster City, Redwood City, or Woodside.
CALIFORNIA HEALTH ALERT NETWORK (CAHAN): This is an alert system that is similar to the Disaster Healthcare Volunteers of California (DHVC) network but it only relates to health issues (i.e. flu, toxic spills, heat, etc.) The San Mateo County Health Department (Theresa Smith) conducts 3-hour classes to train hospital, clinic, nursing home, and all health agencies and professionals to use the system. There are currently 17,000 subscribers. Contact: cahaninfo@cdph.ca.gov.
SILVER DRAGON III: The exercise was on March 11and was a great success with 19 SMC MRC and CERT members participating. We had great cooperation from the HMB Police Department, Coastside Fire Protection District, Ocean Colony Board of Directors, Ritz Carlton Security, and the local ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) group. We reached 850 homes in Ocean Colony and Canada Cove in 1 hour and over 13,000 homes were visited in San Mateo County.
BAY AREA “POD” EXERCISE: This was a large-scale “Pull” operation in which the Bay Area MRC units used the Oakland Coliseum as a “Point of Distribution” (POD) site for the distribution of simulated antibiotics. Michael Klass and Jan Didur attended an orientation meeting in Oakland and then participated in the exercise on March 19th.
ANNUAL NATIONAL (DALLAS) & CALIFORNIA (REDONDO BEACH) MEETING
· The National meeting was an integrated meeting that combined 4 of the national disaster organizations. There were 5,000 in attendance with 5 days of workshops, seminars, and speakers. The most significant announcement was that the MRC and American Red Cross have finally agreed to resolutions that would provide a good working relationship between the 2 organizations.
· The California MRC meeting was mostly a gathering of information from the 40 California MRC units and also some networking.
SAN MATEO COUNTY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AGENCY (EMSA) UPDATE:
· Kevin Rose gave an update on the H1N1 (swine) flu situation. A new vaccine will be ready in October-November and will be separate from the regular flu shot. There have already been discussions about having the SMC MRC assist the public health nurses in the administration of the H1N1 vaccine on the coast.
· Kevin also briefly discussed the new arrangement between the MRC and American Red Cross.
· The funds that were potentially available for a field treatment site are now being diverted for equipment for the flu season. Other funds might possibly be available next year.
CPR TRAINING: We will begin CPR training classes in 2 weeks. Many thanks to Elizabeth Martinez-Yano and Chief Don O’Keefe for arranging for a meeting room in the HMB Police Department. Elizabeth also made arrangements for Mike Coffey, paramedic for the San Bruno Fire Dept, to conduct the 2-hour classes, which will be held on July 14th and 27th. The cost will be $20 and the CPR certificate will be valid for 2 years. If interested, contact Michael Klass, ASAP.
TRAINING: The MRC is recommending that members register and take advantage of the many courses available on the MRC-TRAIN site. Some MRC units require that members take at least 1-2 online courses per year. The website is: medicalreservecorps.gov/TRAINResources
PRESENTATION: POLICIES & PROCEDURES FOR SHELTER MANAGEMENT: Michael Klass gave a review of the policies, procedures, and guidelines for working in American Red Cross or any other shelter. The full course includes an interactive component and we may consider a more in-depth course at a later date.
MERCHANDISE:
· Remember to use the list of first aid supplies and emergency items that can be incorporated in your MRC backpacks (Go-Packs). The list can be found on the SMCMRC.ORG website.
· We are considering some type of rain slicker or wind shirt that would be printed with the large SMC MRC logo on the back.
· County EMSA funds for a field treatment site (tent, cots, etc) are not currently available so for now, we will purchase a tent, cots, etc. with our own funds. We will need the supplies for the Pumpkin Festival and other events.
FUNDING: Nine months ago, Kevin Rose and Michael Klass applied for a $5,000 Federal CBA (Capacity Building Award) award for our MRC. The award was granted and we received the money several weeks ago. It was just announced that another award (amount?) will be available in a few months, so we will submit another Federal grant application.
PHOTOS: New photos of various MRC activities have been posted on the website. Check them out!
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS:Jim Howie, Jeffrey Wolf, and Michael Klass attended a 3-hour emergency communications seminar sponsored by the San Mateo Health Department. Jim and Michael then took the 8-hour, county-sponsored, amateur radio certification class and can now provide additional ham radio support in the event of a disaster. I would encourage others to also consider obtaining their amateur radio license so that we can have numerous members with the ability to communicate in a true disaster situation. The class and license are $30 and more information and schedules can be found at BAEARS.COM.
NATIONAL AND CALIFORNIA MRC ACTIVITIES:
· The Marin MRC provided 14 members to assist public health nurses answer telephone hotlines after the H1N1 alert.
· 63 MRC units from 14 states provided 1,500 MRC members and 30,000 hours in response to Hurricanes Ike, Gustav, and tropical storm Hanna. Their activities included staffing medical shelters, immunizing staff, providing evacuation support, establishing pet shelters, assisting home-bound and medically fragile citizens, staffing medical clinics and hospitals, and supporting communication efforts.
CONGRATULATIONS: Congratulations to SMC MRC member, Lisa Handa !! Lisa is a dental hygienist at the HMB Sonrisas Community Dental Clinic and is the president of the Peninsula Dental Hygienist’s Association. Lisa was 1 of 10 winners (nationally) of the Hygienist Heroes Recognition Program, which recognizes community-oriented dentistry.
FUTURE ACTIVITIES:
· Pumpkin Festival – October 17-18; Michael Klass, Jim Howie, and Laurie Agrillo will research the possibility of establishing a booth at the HMB Pumpkin Festival. Michael will attend an orientation meeting on June 30th. Currently the first aid responsibilities are handled by the paramedics of the Coastside Fire District, but we may be able to assist them with an additional first aid station.
· H1N1 Flu Vaccination Program? Our MRC unit may be asked to assist the public health nurses of the San Mateo County Health Dept with a large-scale H1N1 community vaccination program.
DISASTER MEETING SITE: In the event that a disaster occurs and all means of communications are disrupted, the SMC MRC WILL MEET IN FRONT OF THE HMB POLICE STATION. This location may change as the current Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is at the HMB Fire Station. In addition, there is some discussion about a common meeting place for all of the non-profit organizations on the Coast.
HOLIDAY PARTY: We are contemplating a SMC MRC holiday party.
Michael Klass, MD
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