# Presentation: 692828

## MARICOPA MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS

**A Pharmacy Training Program**

## Maricopa County

_**Maricopa County**_
**4****th**** Most populous county in the U.S.**
**Population is 3.2 million (60% of state’s population)**
**14****th**** Largest county in size in U.S. (9,226 square miles)**
**City of Phoenix is the 5****th**** largest city in the U.S.  **

## Maricopa MRC

**Maricopa MRC organized in late 2002**
**Initial sponsors:**
**City of Chandler**
**Maricopa Volunteer Center**
**Maricopa County Department of Public Health**
**Received MRC grant in late 2002.**

## MRC Grant Year 1

**Goals-Year 1:**
**Develop a comprehensive plan for an MRC**
**Recruit 300 volunteers**
**Train 100 volunteers**
**Link MRC to other disaster volunteer groups**
**Link MRC to public health agencies**

## MRC Grant Year 2

**Goals-Year 2:**
**Conduct 1****st**** Responder needs assessment**
**Involve the MRC in the Maricopa County Hospital Disaster Preparedness Council**
**Recruit additional members of MRC Coordinating Council**
**Recruit 300 volunteers (continued)**

## MRC Grant Year 2

**Goals-Year 2:**
**Train 100 volunteers (continued)**
**Develop a response team model similar to Chandler CERT program**
**Continue to link MRC to other volunteer disaster organizations **
**Continue to link MRC to public health activities**

##  MRC Grant Year 2

- 	**Midyear in grant cycle, MRC Coordinating Council decided to focus a majority of its resources on the recruitment and training of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians since the number of these health professionals was the rate limiting step in the mass dispensing clinic model.  **

## MRC Pharmacy Corps

**Origins-November 2002 statewide national pharmaceutical stockpile exercise in Phoenix and Tucson**
**20 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians were recruited and trained for a 3 hour dispensing drill in Mesa, Arizona**
**No programs or training for next two years       **

## MRC Pharmacy Corps

**In February 2004, the Maricopa County Pharmacy Emergency Preparedness Council (MCPDPC) was organized under the direction of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health and in connection with the Maricopa MRC**

## MRC Pharmacy Corps

- 	**Council consisted of representatives from:**
**State’s two professional pharmacy organizations:  APA & AzSHP**
**Midwestern College of Pharmacy**
**Arizona State Board of Pharmacy**
**Maricopa Area Health Education Center**
**Pharmacy Wholesalers**
**Maricopa County Department of Public Health**
**Arizona Department of Health Services**

## MRC-Pharmacy Corps

**Goals of Maricopa County Pharmacy Disaster Preparedness Council:**
**Forum for discussion for pharmacy personnel on terrorism and disasters**
**Coordinating body for training and planning for pharmacy personnel to respond to a disaster**

## MRC-Pharmacy Corps

**Goals of Maricopa County Pharmacy Disaster Preparedness Council:**
**Review training curriculum on disaster and public health preparedness and response**
**Support educational programs**
**Make recommendations to Maricopa County Department of Public Health **

## MRC-Pharmacy Corps

**When MRC reorganized in May of 2004, the Pharmacy Disaster Preparedness Council voted to become officially the Pharmacy Corps of the Maricopa Medical Reserve.**
** ****MCPEPC leadership assumed positions in new Pharmacy Corps**

## Maricopa Citizen Corps Council

## MRC Executive Committee  

_**MRC Advisory Committee**_
**MMRS Cities-Glendale, Mesa, Phoenix**
**Maricopa County Department of Public Health**
**Grand Canyon Chapter-American Red Cross**
**Maricopa County Office of Emergency Management**
**Maricopa County Hospital Disaster Preparedness Council **
**Arizona Department of Health Services**** **

**Maricopa Medical Reserve Corps Coordinating Council**

## Maricopa Medical Reserve Corps 

_**MRC Executive Committee**_:
-   **Corps Group Leaders**
**(Chair & Vice Chair)**
**Secretary/Treasurer**
**Committee Chairs**
**Advisor-Maricopa Citizen Corps**
**Executive Director-VCMC**

**MRC Committees:**
**Recruitment & Validation**
**Education & Training**
**Policies, Procedures & By-laws**
**Finance & Grants**
**Liability & Legal**
**Communications**

## Maricopa Medical Reserve Corps 

_**MRC Gr**__o__**up Leadership **_:
**Group Leader**
**Assistant Group Leader**
**Secretary**
**Committee Chairs**
_**Group Committees**_**:**
**Recruitment & Validation**
**Education & Training**
**Policies, Procedures & By-laws**
**Finance & Grants**
**Liability & Legal**
**Communications**

## MRC-Pharmacy Corps

- Pharmacy Corps Group Leader
- Chairs regular meetings of group leadership (bi-monthly)
- Represents group on MRC Executive Committee
- Serves as liaison to pharmacy-related organizations as needed
- Currently responsible for legal/liability issues

## MRC-Pharmacy Corps

- Assistant Pharmacy Group Leader
- Assists Pharmacy Group Leader
- Currently responsible for recruitment and validation of pharmacists and pharmacist technicians
- Works with volunteer coordinator of MCDPH-BDPR
- Works with volunteer coordinator of Volunteer Center of Maricopa County

## MRC-Pharmacy Corps

- Secretary
- Records minutes of leadership meetings
- Responsible for communications (electronic currently)
- Committee Chairs
- Chair committee meetings, meetings are scheduled as needed
- Recruit 2-5 other committee members

## MRC-Pharmacy Corps

- Education and Training Committee
- Co-chaired by two faculty members of Midwestern University College of Pharmacy
- Pharmacist Trainer for Maricopa County Department of Public Health-BDPR
- Director of Maricopa Area Health Education Center
- Pharmacy Instructors

## MRC-Pharmacy Corps

- 	Recruitment of Pharmacists and Technicians
- 4th Annual AzSHP/APA Joint Meeting
- Theme of conference:  Are You Prepared
- Presentation in Opening Session
- Recruitment from exhibition booth shared with State Health Department
- Referrals from new MRC Members

## MRC-Pharmacy Corps

- 	Recruitment of Pharmacists and Technicians
- Letters sent to respondents to a survey done by Arizona Board of Pharmacy in 2002
- Letters sent to respondents of a survey done by Fry’s Pharmacy in January 2004
- Flyers distributed through wholesalers to all pharmacies in Maricopa County following annual state pharmacy conference

## MRC-Pharmacy Corps

- Registration and Validation
- All Citizen Corps Council (CCC) volunteers register through a common registration process
- Online, web based, SQL database maintained by the CCC (paper applications are also available but are entered later)
- _[www.maricopacitizencorps.org](http://www.maricopacitizencorps.org/)__, .net, .com_

## MRC-Pharmacy Corps

- Registration and Validation
- After registration in the database, email is sent to Pharmacy Corp Group Leader who reviews application and forwards information to Assistant Group Leader
- Assistant Group Leader confirms current status with state board of pharmacy and contact information.
- Shares information with volunteer coordinator for MCDPH-BDPR

## MRC-Pharmacy Corps

- Registration and Validation
- After registration is validated, letter is sent to applicant with information about the Maricopa MRC meeting schedules, committees, etc.
- Encouraged to enroll in Mass Dispensing Training Program.  (May enroll in mass dispensing while registration is being validated)

## MRC-Pharmacy Corps

- Training Curriculum-Mass Dispensing
- Based on dispensing exercise curriculum from 2002
- Revised to include newly developed  dispensing models by BDPR
- Individual and Family Dispensing
- Mass Group Dispensing
- Reviewed and approved by county counsel
- Approved for pharmacy continuing education

## MRC-Pharmacy Corps

- Training Delivery Model
- Four pharmacy instructors
- Four instruction sites throughout the Maricopa County area.
- West:  College of Pharmacy-Midwestern University
- Central:  Offices of United Drug
- East:  Arizona Pharmacy Association Office
- Far East:  Fry’s Pharmacy-Power Rd & Baseline
- 20 training sessions-August and September

## MRC-Pharmacy Corps

- Training Delivery Model
- 3 hour training course
- Review of anthrax, plague and tularemia
- Explanation of dispensing clinic models
- Set up of mock dispensing area with participants playing roles as dispensing pharmacists and technicians and as patients.

## Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy Corps:The Future?

## Encourage participation in the new National Pharmacy Response Team program.
Part of National Disaster Medical System program
Registration process like that for members of Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT)
Same educational requirements as DMAT team members

- Part of National Disaster Medical System program
- Registration process like that for members of Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT)
- Same educational requirements as DMAT team members

**The Future for Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy Corps**

## The Future for Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy Corps

**Provide Ongoing Training**
- Continue Mass Dispensing Training
- Train until there are at least 300 pharmacists and technicians
- Convert introductory presentations into audio enhanced PowerPoint presentations that will be available over through the Maricopa CCC website.

## The Future for Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy Corps

**Provide Ongoing Training**
- Pharmacy Vaccination Programs
- Basic Vaccination Program approved by Arizona State Board of Pharmacy
- APhA Vaccination Program does not include smallpox
- MCDPH Smallpox training program-to be ACPE approved.**  **

## Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training programs
Broaden base of knowledge about disaster response of Pharmacy Corps volunteers
Availability of training programs is increasing
Municipal based programs
Pharmacy organization based program

- Broaden base of knowledge about disaster response of Pharmacy Corps volunteers
- Availability of training programs is increasing
- Municipal based programs
- Pharmacy organization based program

**The Future for Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy Corps**

## Participate in MRC Quarterly Training Programs
Incident Command System-National Incident Management System
New Diseases, e.g. avian influenza
MCDPH-BDPR programs as they develop
ADHS programs as they develop
 (e.g. just-in-time mass dispensing) 

- Incident Command System-National Incident Management System
- New Diseases, e.g. avian influenza
- MCDPH-BDPR programs as they develop
- ADHS programs as they develop
-  (e.g. just-in-time mass dispensing)

**The Future for Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy Corps**

## Participation in drills and exercises
November 2004:  City of Chandler employee flu vaccination exercise with mass dispensing of oral antibiotics as concurrent drill
County exercises
State exercises
Regular MRC notification drills to test notification system and mobilization times

- November 2004:  City of Chandler employee flu vaccination exercise with mass dispensing of oral antibiotics as concurrent drill
- County exercises
- State exercises
- Regular MRC notification drills to test notification system and mobilization times

**The Future for Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy Corps**

## Maricopa Medical Reserve Corps

- Contact Information:
- Richard Thomas, PharmD
- MRC Executive Committee Chair and Pharmacy Corps Group Leader
- C:  	602-616-2327
- E:  	_[richardthomas@mail.maricopa.gov](mailto:richardthomas@mail.maricopa.gov)_
- 	_[richard.g.thomas@bannerhealth.com](mailto:richard.g.thomas@bannerhealth.com)_
- Volunteer Center of Maricopa County-Phoenix, AZ
- O:	602-263-9736