Search is on for 50 Medical Professionals for Dane County Citizen Corps

May 29, 2007
Joanne Haas, Office of the County Executive, (608) 267-8823 or cell (608) 669-5606 Kathy Krusiec, Director, Dane County Department of Emergency Management, (608) 266-4330
County Executive

Recruitment is under way for about 50 men and women with strong medical backgrounds to serve as volunteers with the Medical Reserve Corps as part of the still-forming Citizen Corps Council of Dane County, County Executive Kathleen Falk announced today. “We are looking for medical and public health professionals whose skills and expertise would be put to use in both emergencies and year-round for other public and community needs,” Falk said. “Our goal is to have 50 men and women in our Medical Reserve Corps by the end of the year.” Emergency Management Director Kathy Krusiec said the Medical Reserve Corps will be a community-based unit of volunteers. “These are key individuals who will serve a valuable role in supplementing our existing emergency public health resources during time of emergency,” she said. “And during the year, we will ask them to help with public health outreach campaigns.” For example, the Medical Reserve Unit volunteers could be asked to perform field medical support such as patient screening and registration, as well as patient referral. Krusiec also said the goal is to have the unit in place with trained and credentialed members by the end of the year. Falk in 2006 created the county Citizen Corps Council to establish an all-volunteer network to provide extra help when a major crisis hits and with other community needs throughout the year. The county secured a $53,000 federal Homeland Security grant in March 2006. Falk had heard about the Citizen Corps Council work from the Houston County Executive in Texas who detailed the help the corps provided Hurricane Katrina evacuees. In addition to the Medical Reserve Corps, the county’s Citizen Corps also will have a K-9 Search and Rescue Unit, and two Volunteer in Police Service (VIPS) -- one with the City of Madison Police Department and the other with the Dane County Sheriff’s Office. To learn how to apply for the Medical Reserve Corps and the Citizen Corps Council in general, visit the Web site: http://www.countyofdane.com/citizenCorps/ ###