Kane County Health Department seeking volunteers for vaccination clinics
The Kane County Health Department welcomes volunteers and is currently seeking more.
Claudia Reginato, coordinator for the health department's Medical Reserve Corps, addressed Kane County's need for community members who'd like to volunteer at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic.
Q: What duties will volunteers be asked to perform?
A: Medical volunteers provide shots at the clinics, while non-medical volunteers typically help in supporting roles such as symptom triage, greeting, registration/forms distribution, medical screening, flow monitoring, and vaccine checkout. They also might help with entering data.
Q: Should volunteers have any specific skills?
A: Medical volunteers must have a current license. Dentists, dental hygienists, and pharmacists must complete specific training if working as vaccinators, as required by the state of Illinois.
Non-medical volunteers must be good at working with the public and be able to provide excellent customer service, as well as being comfortable with utilizing technology.
All volunteers must complete confidentiality training and a "Medical Reserve Corps 101 Orientation," which provides a notion of public health, emergency response basics, and volunteer competencies.
The basic training curriculum includes cultural competency, ethics, Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines, and psychological first aid, among other trainings.
Q: What is the time commitment asked of a volunteer? Is a minimum or maximum number of hours, or days of the week, requested?
A: There is not a minimum requirement for commitment. Volunteers may serve as frequently as they wish.
Q: Is being bilingual a plus? If so, what languages are most needed in volunteers?
A: Definitely, yes. Spanish and Hindi would be really helpful, but assistance with any other language would be welcome.
Q: Will volunteers receive any specific training?
A: Medical volunteers must complete a vaccination training online and be approved on a vaccination competency checklist. All volunteers receive just-in-time training on their first shift at the vaccination clinics.
Q: How do potential volunteers apply?
A: Volunteers may access the Kane County Health Department website, kanehealth.com/Pages/Medical-Reserve-Corps.aspx. They will find additional information on the MRC, and a link to a fillable application form, which should be sent to kaneMRC@co.kane.il.us.
Volunteer candidates for the Kane County Health Department COVID-19 vaccination clinics in Aurora and Elgin can apply through the cities. For more information, visit aurora-il.org/service or cityofelgin.org/vaxvolunteer.
Q: Where will volunteers be working?
A: We are requesting that volunteers help at all three vaccination locations.
Vaccination locations and hours:
• Kane Vax Hub: 501 N. Randall Rd., Batavia, IL 60510; by appointment only, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
• Aurora Vaccination Site: 970 N. Lake St., Aurora, IL 60506; by appointment only, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
• Elgin Vaccination Site: Eastside Recreational Center, 1080 E. Chicago St., Elgin, IL 60120; by appointment only, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Dates and hours subject to change based on vaccine availability.
For more information about scheduling a COVID-19 vaccination appointment, visit KaneVax.org or kanehealth.com.