MRC in Action

 

North Idaho is fortunate to have an active Medical Reserve Corps that is always willing to respond to a call for assistance in the community.  Using the Incident Command System as its organizing structure at events reinforces the MRC's training and keeps it ready to respond in an emergency.

 

On Jan. 27, 2011, MRC of North Idaho assisted at the Homeless Connect at the Post Falls National Guard Armory. The purpose of the event was to invite those needing assistance to learn about the many community services that are available to them, with more than 30 local service providers present. Other opportunities included medical and dental screening, a foot care clinic, veterinarian services, bicycle repair and haircuts. A hot meal was served and clothing and groceries were available. MRC served as nurses in the clinic, administered seasonal flu shots, helped with food and clothing distribution and crowd flow. More than 1,000 people attended the Connect and the MRC was happy to help.

 

 

H1N1 Response – From October 2009 through January 2010, the MRC stood ready to help where and when needed.  Beginning with staffing the Panhandle Health District appointment line in October and working through the public clinics, the MRC was an invaluable source of assistance in vaccinating our community.  The phone operators had a particularly tough job. Six thousand callers quickly overloaded the phone lines trying to get one of the 1,500 appointments.  At the clinics, MRC volunteers served as nurses, administrative support, and crowd control to effectively get people in and vaccinated and out within 15 minutes.

 

 

Health Connection - a free community clinic held Aug. 14, 2010 at The Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, sponsored by Dirne Community Health Clinic and Lake City Community Church.  With the help of 43 MRC volunteers, 147 individuals were seen by medical professionals. Forty were deemed to need follow-up at Dirne within the week.  This clinic proved to be a valuable resource for the community.

 

 

The community of Wallace, Idaho, held a 1910 Fire Commemoration and Dedication of the Firefighters Memorial on Saturday, August 21, 2010.  The Medical Reserve Corps was asked to staff a First Aid Tent.  Thankfully there were no serious injuries at the event, but cuts and scrapes were treated, and water was handed out on the beautiful summer day.

 

 

Volunteers were requested to assist at the North Idaho County Fair on Wednesday, August 25, 2010, at the PHD Environmental Division’s “Edible Aquifer” booth.  Five MRC helped children create an “aquifer” using cereal, milk, ice cream, a straw and food coloring, to illustrate the effect of pollutants on the water supply.  More than 300 children came through the booth and left with a deeper appreciation of how to protect our natural resources.  Volunteers Jenee, Terrie Lynn, Naoma, Lorraine, and Kerrianne had a fun time at this event.

 

 

The 2010 North Idaho Veterans Stand Down was held on Saturday, September 25, 2010, at the Post Falls National Guard Armory.  The MRC was asked to provide staff for the medical clinic as well as non-medical volunteers throughout the event.  1,616 veterans and their family members attended and received information about services available to veterans. They also received surplus items, food and clothing.  In addition to the medical services offered, a veterinarian was on hand to do check-ups and shots for pets; bicycle repair was offered; and the MRC’s Lorraine gave hundreds of haircuts throughout the day.  In all, 25 MRC volunteered throughout the Stand Down, helping with setup days before and working as needed during the event.