Lake County Medical Reserve Corps offers training for volunteers

Lake County residents seeking a volunteer opportunity with free training for widespread emergency situations may want to join the Lake County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC).

A medical background is not required for those wanting to volunteer. An informational meeting is scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, in Room C002, Building C, at the College of Lake County, 19351 West Washington St., Grayslake.

Affiliated with the Lake County Health Department's Emergency Response program, the MRC is in place to support the existing health care system in situations of public health emergencies. For instance, MRC volunteers assisted with the H1N1 outbreak in Lake County and 10 traveled to Louisiana to assist after Hurricane Katrina in what was the first national activation of MRC volunteers.

"If you want to volunteer, we will find a job for you," said Chet Splitt, MRC coordinator. Locally, there are 375 members and the goal is to double that number.

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and a resident of Lake County or one of the adjacent counties. In case of a large-scale emergency wherein medication needs to be distributed, volunteers and their immediate family will receive the medication first to help ensure the volunteer's ability to respond. Medical or nonmedical students who meet the age and residency requirement are encouraged to volunteer as well.

Volunteers are asked to complete less than 10 hours of training a year, and each person is required to attend one four-hour exercise to practice what they learn. The training includes learning how to assist in distributing medication to all residents of Lake County within 48 hours during a public health emergency.

Those who volunteer will not only be better prepared at home and work in case of an emergency, but they also will be part of a national group of volunteers. In 2014, the Lake County Medical Reserve Corps received the FEMA Community Preparedness Award for Local Communities, and in 2012 the group was recognized as an Active Partner in the Illinois Heart Rescue Project, which focuses on forming community, emergency management system (EMS) and hospital partnerships across the state to measure and improve cardiac arrest survival.

There are 77 Medical Reserve Corps units and more than 4,500 members in Illinois. For more information about the Medical Reserve Corps, visit health.lakecountyil.gov/Population/Pages/Lake-County-Medical-Reserve-Corps.aspx.

For details, contact Splitt at csplitt@lakecountyil.gov or (847) 377-8358.