MARYLAND RESPONDS SEEKS VOLUNTEERS IN ALLEGANY AND GARRETT COUNTIES

CUMBERLAND, MD – Would you be willing to help your community prepare for and respond to emergencies?  Want to volunteer, but not sure where to start?  The Maryland Responds Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a web-based registry where volunteers age 18 or older can sign up to receive information on volunteer needs during an emergency.  Over the next few months, the Allegany and Garrett County Maryland Responds MRC units will be recruiting interested community members to become registered responders.  Maryland Responds participants are invited to participate in training opportunities and preparedness drills, and they can choose to be automatically alerted when emergency volunteer needs occur locally, regionally, statewide or even nationally.  Maryland Responders are always free to choose which opportunities they will respond to or pass on.

Although the name of the program includes the word “medical,” there are lots of volunteer roles that don’t require any special medical training.

“Maryland Responders come from all walks of life and all cultural and professional backgrounds,” states Brenda Caldwell, Unit Administrator for the Allegany MRC unit.  “There are many roles that non-medical volunteers can play in a public health emergency, such as staffing a temporary shelter, answering hotline phone calls, directing traffic or guiding folks through a temporary clinic, assisting with registration forms, set-up and clean-up, and much more.”

Occasionally, volunteers may also be asked to assist their communities with ongoing public health activities such as screenings, health and nutrition education, public health clinics, blood drives, etc. 

The current volunteer drive in Allegany and Garrett Counties is building toward a free Maryland Responds regional “mini-conference” to be held May 8 at the Garrett County Health Department.  The conference will feature information on Maryland Responds, training sessions for registered and prospective responders on a variety of emergency preparedness topics, and a registration station with responders who can assist individuals with getting started in Maryland Responds.  More information on that conference, the training sessions, and how to register will be available in the coming weeks.

As a volunteer, you can make a difference in the health of your community!  Learn more by visiting https://mdr.health.maryland.gov/, sending an email to [email protected], or calling 410-767-7772.

Press Release Info:
Author: Brenda Caldwell, Public Information Coordinator: 301-759-5239