Medical Reserve Corps Ready to Respond

They plan for worst-case scenarios and calamities, the unlikely events most of us don’t like to think about. And now that we are in the midst of an actual global pandemic, they are ready to respond.
Norfolk’s Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a group of medical and non-medical residents who are trained to assist emergency response teams during disasters or medical emergencies. They can also assist with public health initiatives, such as vaccination screenings and clinics.
With the novel coronavirus hitting Massachusetts hard, the MRC will be ready to operate a testing site or vaccination clinic if necessary, according to member Fran Sullivan.
“We have been working with the state on our emergency dispensing clinic site plan for the last two years,” she said.
Last October, Norfolk’s MRC ran a flu-shot clinic in the town’s senior center. The clinic doubled as an emergency drill for the group in case the town has to hold a mass-vaccination event in a short amount of time. That flu-shot clinic was a way to test the system.
In early January, the group participated in a so-called “tabletop exercise” with six other towns to address a scenario similar to what is unfolding right now. At the time, the COVID-19 virus was not on their radar as they worked to refine their plans to respond to such an emergency.
“We made some headway and I think this pandemic is going to catapult us,” said Sullivan.
When a vaccine is finally available for the coronavirus, Sullivan says the town may hold a drive-thru clinic, an efficient way to vaccinate the entire town if necessary. Next fall’s seasonal flu clinic may be a test-run of that mode of vaccination. It is unlikely a COVID-19 vaccination will be ready by then, so a flu clinic drive-thru will function as another drill for the MRC and the town’s first responders.
Meanwhile, Norfolk’s MRC is getting tapped to assist in other ways. Members were recently contacted by the Norfolk Council on Aging with a request to help with Meals on Wheels in Norfolk and other towns. There has been a spike in senior citizens across the state needing meals because they are housebound due to the coronavirus and Governor Baker’s stay-at-home advisory.
A request to volunteer and support staffing in Belmont, Lawrence, Newton, Norwood, and Revere nursing homes was also sent out recently to MRC members. The state’s nursing homes have been hard-hit during the pandemic.
The MA Department of Public Health (DPH) has also requested assistance from MRC members around the state. The DPH needs volunteers to staff a new call center in Boston, in conjunction with a program providing in-facility testing of residents with symptoms of COVID-19. Volunteers will field calls from nursing centers and offer information about testing. Training is provided.
Locally, the MRC is working with the Council on Aging to phone shut-in seniors in town during the pandemic.
“It’s just a ‘hello’ call, a type of outreach,” explained Sullivan. “It can be pretty lonely if you don’t hear another person’s voice all day long.”
Norfolk’s MRC is a member of MRC Region 4A, a group of 33 communities with close to 1,500 volunteers. Each community in Region 4A organizes its own volunteers, but in the case of a large-scale emergency, has access to volunteers from the other communities.
MRC members across the state are offered training in first aid, CPR, and NARCAN administration, as well as FEMA classes to help them understand the National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System.
In the last year, Norfolk’s MRC has held Stop the Bleed training, CPR classes, a lecture on trauma and mental health during emergencies, and workshops on how to set up a shelter.
The MRC needs members of all skill sets, such as doctors, nurses, people with expertise in marketing and communication, administrative support staff, clergy, amateur radio operators, people experienced with special needs populations, and drivers of heavy machinery, noted Sullivan.
“So many volunteers have stepped forward to keep our organization moving forward,” she said. “We thank them for helping to make Norfolk a wonderful and safe place to live.”
For more information about Norfolk’s Medical Reserve Corps, or to volunteer, contact the Board of Health office at 508-528-7747 or email bfijol@norfolk.ma.us. Follow Norfolk’s MRC on Facebook for updates.
Be sure to sign up for Citizen Alerts, Norfolk’s official emergency notification system. Visit www.norfolk.ma.us and click on the Citizen Alerts button on the right-hand side of the page.