# Presentation: 416487

## Building Your Volunteer Program: Lessons Learned from the Fairfax Medical Reserve Corps

- Donna M. Foster, MRC Coordinator
- Jesse R. Habourn, MRC Database Manager

## Primary function: operate mass dispensing sites
Current membership: 3,100 Medical & non-medical volunteers
29% medical
71% non-medical
Secondary functions
Community Health Partners: subset of MRC volunteers distribute health promotion/disease prevention information to public
“Interested in other volunteer opportunities?”

- Primary function: operate mass dispensing sites
- Current membership: 3,100 Medical & non-medical volunteers
- 29% medical
- 71% non-medical
- Secondary functions
- Community Health Partners: subset of MRC volunteers distribute health promotion/disease prevention information to public
- “Interested in other volunteer opportunities?”

## All hazards approach using smallpox as framework
Worst case scenario:
Multiple outbreaks
Mass vaccination of all 1.2 million Fairfax County residents within three to five days
Permits scaling down for alternative strategies or targeted events

- All hazards approach using smallpox as framework
- Worst case scenario:
- Multiple outbreaks
- Mass vaccination of all 1.2 million Fairfax County residents within three to five days
- Permits scaling down for alternative strategies or targeted events

## Dispensing sites located at 24 high schools and George Mason University
Requires 54 teams of app. 234 volunteers each
Team will work 12 hour shifts for 3-5 days

- Dispensing sites located at 24 high schools and George Mason University
- Requires 54 teams of app. 234 volunteers each
- Team will work 12 hour shifts for 3-5 days

## Residents arrive at dispensing site via bus pick-up from:
Elementary and middle schools
High school bus stops
4 satellite locations
Residents with handicap parking stickers may drive to site if necessary
Media to alert residents about the plan

- Residents arrive at dispensing site via bus pick-up from:
- Elementary and middle schools
- High school bus stops
- 4 satellite locations
- Residents with handicap parking stickers may drive to site if necessary
- Media to alert residents about the plan

## Incident Command System (ICS)
Clear chain of command
Easily plug in new volunteers/staff
National standard
Joint partnership: MRC volunteer team, school system staff, Fairfax PD
Incident Coordinator of each share Unified Command

- Incident Command System (ICS)
- Clear chain of command
- Easily plug in new volunteers/staff
- National standard
- Joint partnership: MRC volunteer team, school system staff, Fairfax PD
- Incident Coordinator of each share Unified Command

## Mass Dispensing Site Staffing

- _One MRC Team_
-  1	Incident Coordinator		104 Site Assistant (min.)
-  1	Safety Officer			  2   Medical Directors
-  1	Public Info. Officer (Media School)	  2   NP/PA
-  4	Administrative Asst.		 41  Registered Nurse
-  1	Volunteer Coordinator		  4   Reg. Nurse Unit Leader
-  1	Support Branch Director		  6   Physician
-  1	Sup. Branch Deputy Dir.		  2   Pharmacist
- 10	Interpreters (min.)		  2   Pharmacy Technician
-  1	ASL Interpreter		  6   Public Health Staff
-  1	Data Entry Unit Leader		  6   Mental Health Professional
- 24	Data Entry Specialists		  6   Greeter (Counselor)
-  1	Flow Control Unit Leader	  6   Special Needs Asst.
- Total = 234 (min.)

**Notes:**
As you can see, each MRC team contains an array of positions, each necessary for us to accomplish our mission. Many volunteers without medical or nursing expertise are needed for the team to be successful.

## Realization regarding the magnitude of the problem (Anthrax 2001, 2005 scare)

Executive sponsorship: CAO and Health Officer/Director of jurisdiction support at outset is crucial; eventual endorsement from elected officials

Buy-in from key stakeholders in emergency response (police, fire, schools, transportation, medical community)

- Realization regarding the magnitude of the problem (Anthrax 2001, 2005 scare)
- Executive sponsorship: CAO and Health Officer/Director of jurisdiction support at outset is crucial; eventual endorsement from elected officials
- Buy-in from key stakeholders in emergency response (police, fire, schools, transportation, medical community)

## Develop partnerships with community organizations
Factor diverse and special needs populations into your plan; be ethnically, linguistically sensitive
Dedicate staff resources necessary to develop emergency plan and program infrastructure

- Develop partnerships with community organizations
- Factor diverse and special needs populations into your plan; be ethnically, linguistically sensitive
- Dedicate staff resources necessary to develop emergency plan and program infrastructure

## Tag onto existing contracts for reverse 911, text/voice alerting systems, etc. to develop your volunteer database (eliminates RFP bidding process)
Utilize NIMS as an organizational concept for response plan
Use physicians in medical roles, not as Incident Coordinators or other leadership positions
Consider using mobile teams for senior and developmentally disabled populations

- Tag onto existing contracts for reverse 911, text/voice alerting systems, etc. to develop your volunteer database (eliminates RFP bidding process)
- Utilize NIMS as an organizational concept for response plan
- Use physicians in medical roles, not as Incident Coordinators or other leadership positions
- Consider using mobile teams for senior and developmentally disabled populations

## Develop Job Action Sheets (JAS): list of duties volunteer can expect to perform
Be as detailed as possible – describe every single duty
Create a JAS for each volunteer position in each unit (Nurse will have different duties in Unit A than in Unit B)
This is the core of training!
Always explain that program is evolving and that changes may be made
Practice your plan; adjust as necessary

- Develop Job Action Sheets (JAS): list of duties volunteer can expect to perform
- Be as detailed as possible – describe every single duty
- Create a JAS for each volunteer position in each unit (Nurse will have different duties in Unit A than in Unit B)
- This is the core of training!
- Always explain that program is evolving and that changes may be made
- Practice your plan; adjust as necessary

## Don’t start recruiting until plan is in place
Don’t start recruiting until system to manage volunteer information and communication is in place
Don’t let too much time pass between initial volunteer sign-up and first communication
Don’t promise what you can’t deliver

- Don’t start recruiting until plan is in place
- Don’t start recruiting until system to manage volunteer information and communication is in place
- Don’t let too much time pass between initial volunteer sign-up and first communication
- Don’t promise what you can’t deliver

## www.fairfaxmrc.org
Comprehensive online system manages volunteer contact info., communication, participation and program analysis
Scaleable, fully customizable to adapt to changing program
Created by Roam Secure, Inc.

- www.fairfaxmrc.org
- Comprehensive online system manages volunteer contact info., communication, participation and program analysis
- Scaleable, fully customizable to adapt to changing program
- Created by Roam Secure, Inc.

## Text alerts to:
E-mail
Cell phones w/ text messaging
Alpha-numeric pagers
PDAs
Initiate remote alerts from cells or pagers
Include attachments

- Text alerts to:
- E-mail
- Cell phones w/ text messaging
- Alpha-numeric pagers
- PDAs
- Initiate remote alerts from cells or pagers
- Include attachments

## Grouping
Reporting
Track:
Volunteer contact info
Trainings completed
Replies to alerts
Bounced messages or invalid devices
System usage

- Grouping
- Reporting
- Track:
- Volunteer contact info
- Trainings completed
- Replies to alerts
- Bounced messages or invalid devices
- System usage

## Increased alerting functionality
HTML-based messages
Automated notifications (application approval, training reminders, etc.)
Integrate interactive voice response to reply to alerts
Virtual tour of dispensing site
Generate team rosters and volunteer staffing plans on the fly
GIS compatibility; GIS alerting

- Increased alerting functionality
- HTML-based messages
- Automated notifications (application approval, training reminders, etc.)
- Integrate interactive voice response to reply to alerts
- Virtual tour of dispensing site
- Generate team rosters and volunteer staffing plans on the fly
- GIS compatibility; GIS alerting

## Automate training sign-up process
Logical, exclusion-based application process
Library of information on biological agents, emergency preparedness, etc.
Volunteer photo ID creation/management
Online training capability

- Automate training sign-up process
- Logical, exclusion-based application process
- Library of information on biological agents, emergency preparedness, etc.
- Volunteer photo ID creation/management
- Online training capability

## Encourage volunteers to manage own account
Limit e-mail alerts to important announcements only.  Limit cell/pager alerts to emergencies and annual tests only
Provide wealth of tech. support material
Have plan to deal with spam blockers and volunteers without e-mail accounts/cells, etc.
Make website a place volunteers want to visit instead of a place they’re required to visit
Install a backup server

- Encourage volunteers to manage own account
- Limit e-mail alerts to important announcements only.  Limit cell/pager alerts to emergencies and annual tests only
- Provide wealth of tech. support material
- Have plan to deal with spam blockers and volunteers without e-mail accounts/cells, etc.
- Make website a place volunteers want to visit instead of a place they’re required to visit
- Install a backup server

## Use volunteers to recruit others
Get your local politicians involved
Capitalize on current events re: issue news releases (e.g. recent anthrax scare)
Target non-essential public workers

- Use volunteers to recruit others
- Get your local politicians involved
- Capitalize on current events re: issue news releases (e.g. recent anthrax scare)
- Target non-essential public workers

- Direct mail to:
- Pharmacists
- Nurses
- Physicians
- Recently retired first responders, military personnel and jurisdiction employees
- Physicians recruit physicians; phone calls seem to work best

## All members receive:
General orientation
Role-specific training
Participate in annual exercise
Leaders additionally receive:
Leadership/Incident Command
Hands on Practice
Leadership Meeting at Assigned Site
Over 1/3 of volunteers have participated in training as of early April 2005
E-newsletter Fairfax MRC News

- All members receive:
- General orientation
- Role-specific training
- Participate in annual exercise
- Leaders additionally receive:
- Leadership/Incident Command
- Hands on Practice
- Leadership Meeting at Assigned Site
- Over 1/3 of volunteers have participated in training as of early April 2005
- E-newsletter Fairfax MRC News

## Thank you!