By John Norton
The Pueblo Chieftain
PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. — It’s time to call out more reserves for the health department, which says it needs more volunteers to fill the ranks.
H1N1 flu vaccine clinics were staffed adequately when the Pueblo City-County Health Department began them, but the numbers of volunteers is shrinking and the lines of people waiting to get the vaccine are growing, according to Sarah Bruestle, health department spokeswoman.
The department is asking more people to consider joining the local Medical Reserve Corps unit, which is made up of health care workers who have signed up to help in case of emergencies, and specifically is targeting registered nurses and paramedics qualified to give injections.
Jody Carrillo, director of disease prevention and emergency preparedness for the health department, said, “We feel like we can do this better, more efficiently. We’ve made some changes, but now we really do need those vaccinators to come forth. If they would, that would sure help with our response.”
Two clinics were held over the weekend, attracting large crowds. On Saturday, 1,533 people were vaccinated at Pueblo County High School and another clinic was held at Craver Middle School in Colorado City on Sunday. Even larger crowds could show up in coming weeks as the program expands beyond the high-risk people and health care workers to the general public.
Because of the large number of people needed for the clinics, many health department functions have been shut down on Mondays so that paid staff may work on the weekends. Volunteers ease the pressure on the department staff.
Bruestle said the department could use more than two dozen medical volunteers to help run each clinic. Anyone interested should call 583-4430.
The Medical Reserve Corps, founded in 2002 and coordinated locally by the health department, is part of the President’s USA Freedom Corps, which promotes volunteerism and service throughout the nation.
The community-based units recruit medical professionals and others who want to donate their time and expertise for emergencies when extra help is needed by public health agencies.
The Pueblo unit has more than 200 volunteers of all ages with medical and nonmedical backgrounds who participate in a variety of local activities including vaccination campaigns, disaster exercises, tabletop exercises on a variety of all hazards scenarios and goal-setting meetings.
Information on vaccination clinics is available from the Public Health Flu Hotline, 583-4440, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, except for holidays.
Copyright 2009 The Pueblo Chieftain