Since the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States, the Greater Monadnock Medical Reserve Corps has welcomed 60 new volunteers, increasing its volunteer pool by more than 30 percent. Still, the corps — like many throughout New Hampshire — is looking for additional people.
“Recruiting those new volunteers and having them trained and ready to go will save time when we do need to respond,” says Olivia Watson, director of the Greater Monadnock Medical Reserve Corps and public health emergency preparedness coordinator at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene.
The MRC is a national network of volunteers trained to support public health in their communities. The corps were established after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when there was an influx of volunteers without training. The units aim to have volunteers trained and ready to respond before there is an emergency. That way, organizers have a vetted group of volunteers to call on when disaster strikes.
Now, the corps are helping communities throughout the country respond to coronavirus. New Hampshire has 13 corps units, most of which are still recruiting volunteers to help confront the pandemic.
The Seacoast Region Medical Reserve Corps has trained about 130 new volunteers since the pandemic hit, bringing their total to 286 people trained. In the coming months and years, the corps will need all the help they can muster, says Nancy Parker, coordinator for the Seacoast Regional MRC.
“We don’t know how long this is going to go on,” she says. “The bigger pool we have to draw from, the better. This is a long-term event.”
The units can match volunteers with a variety of roles depending on their skills, interests and risk tolerance for possible exposure to the virus. The Greater Monadnock unit is training volunteers to work at the alternate care site that has been established at Keene State College, and preparing for future clinics for antibody research and vaccine distribution.
Volunteers with the Seacoast Region Medical Reserve Corps are working at an alternative care site at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. Others are calling elderly people and others who can’t get out of the house to ensure they get a bit of socialization and don’t feel too isolated, Parker says.
John Keppler, 68, of West Chesterfield, has volunteered with the Greater Monadnock Medical Reserve Corps. He responded to the H1N1 flu outbreak in 2009 and worked on a vaccination initiative on the seacoast more recently. Keppler likes that the corps gives him a chance to support public health, despite the fact that he doesn’t have a medical background, and to engage with like-minded people.
“I find volunteering with the GMMRC to be rewarding, primarily due to the interaction with a core group of exceptionally interesting, compassionate and civic-minded people,” Keppler says.
Volunteers in most units start with an online orientation, which takes about an hour. Then, they are contacted when specific volunteer opportunities arise. Later, people receive quick on-the-job training for the role they’ve stepped into.
Parker says that most units have volunteer opportunities that are suitable for people who are high risk and need to strictly follow social distancing. Since volunteers select the roles their take on, people can find one that they’re comfortable with.
“They’re never put under any pressure,” Parker says. “It’s a very individual thing.”
People who are interested in volunteering can contact their nearest corps. Contact information can be found online at https://mrc.hhs.gov/, or below.
Greater Monadnock Medical Reserve Corps
Based in Keene
Contact: Olivia Watson
603-354-5454 ext. 3034
gmmrc1@gmail.com
The Seacoast Medical Reserve Corps
Based in Raymond
Contact: Nancy Parker
603-793-0786
npccmrc@hotmail.com
Lakes Region Medical Reserve Corps
Based in Laconia
Contact: Kate Bruchacova
603-528-2145
kbruchacova@pphnh.org
Greater Manchester Medical Reserve Corps
Based in Manchester
Contact: Philip J. Alexakos
603-628-6003, ext. 307
palexako@manchesternh.gov
Capital Area Medical Reserve Corps
Based in Concord
Contact: Stacey Elliott
603-224-2595 ext. 222
volunteer@capitalareaphn.org
Central New Hampshire Medical Reserve Corps
Based in Plymouth
Contact: Angel Ekstrom
603-238-3582
aekstrom@midstatehealth.org
Carroll County Medical Reserve Corps
Based in Ossipee
603-301-1252 ext. 302
mrc@c3ph.org
Strafford County Medical Reserve Corps
Based in Dover
603-312-0492
South Center New Hampshire Medical Reserve Corps
Based in Derry
603-421-2323
preparedness@southcentralphn.org
Greater Nashua Medical Reserve Corps
Based in Nashua
603-377-6593
Greater Sullivan County Medical Reserve Corps
Based in Newport
Contact: Kinley Reed
423-306-6025
kreed@sullivanhealth.org
Upper Valley Medical Reserve Corps
Based in Lebanon
uvmedicalreservecorps@gmail.com
Northern NH Medical Reserve Corps
Based in Littleton
COVID19@NCHCNH.org or nwoods@NCHCNH.org
These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.