Public Health Emergency – Volunteer Opportunities
Los
Angeles County has experienced numerous
emergencies/disasters, ranging from earthquakes and
fires to civil unrest, and more recently the Pandemic
H1N1. The Emergency Preparedness and Response Program (EPRP)
was established to ensure that the county is
sufficiently prepared to prevent and mitigate the public
health consequences of natural or manmade emergencies
for Los Angeles County residents through threat
assessment, planning, improved operational readiness,
and timely response.
With
over 10.1 million residents in a county that is 4,089
square miles, the Department of Public Health needs the
assistance of the community to prepare and respond to
public health emergencies.
MRC Los Angeles
The
Department of Public Health sponsors MRC Los Angeles, a
local unit registered with the Office of Civilian
Volunteers Medical Reserve Corps under the Office of the
Surgeon General. Under the direction and coordination
of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Program, MRC
Los Angeles is comprised of medical, health, dental,
mental health, and other skilled professionals,
organized and trained to assist during public health
emergencies.
VISION: Volunteers
Building Healthy, Prepared, and Resilient Communities.
MISSION: To assist
during public health emergencies and promote community
health education and engagement.
MRC Los Angeles is a member of the
Los Angeles County Disaster Healthcare Volunteers (LAC
DHV) Collaborative, which is co-chaired by the
Department of Public Health and LA County Emergency
Medical Services Agency. Members of the LAC DHV
Collaborative synergistically works together to uphold
and integrate federal standards of National ESAR-VHP and
MRC to effectively manage, train, and deploy a volunteer
workforce to augment existing local medical and public
health systems in response to disasters or public health
emergencies.
Public Health Emergency
Volunteer (PHEV) Network
The purpose of
PHEV Network is to increase the coordination and
collaboration with established community volunteer
units that are willing to assist the Department of
Public Health in responding to public health emergencies
by creating a system to engage, train, and deploy these
groups. The PHEV Network values coordinating
efficiently, nurturing collaboration, communicating
effectively, and respecting the autonomy of community
volunteer units.
Is your
community volunteer unit:
§
Comprised of members over the age of 18?
§
Interested and willing to assist during
public health emergencies?
§
Willing to designate a primary point of
contact or already have a unit coordinator to
disseminate information and coordinate deployment for
public health emergencies?
If you
answered YES! to all these questions, then JOIN TODAY!
For more information, please
contact Joseph Kim at
joskim@ph.lacounty.gov
Register for
PHEV Network
