MARICOPA MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS

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MARICOPA MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS

• A Local Resource for the Strategic National
  Stockpile

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Every American to give 4,000 hours
in service to neighbors and nation. Jan 2002
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USA Freedom Corps

• President Bushs initiative to engage U.S.
  citizens in service to community and to
  strengthen homeland security
• AmeriCorps
• Volunteers in Service
• to America (VISTA)
• National Community
• CCC
• Learn and Serve America
• Senior Corps
• Foster Grandparents
• Senior Companions
• RSVP

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USA Freedom Corps

• Peace Corps
• Foreign service
• Citizen Corps
• Citizen Corps Councils (CCC)
• Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS)
• Community Emergency
• Response Teams (CERT)
• Neighborhood Watch
• Medical Reserve
• Corps (MRC)

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Citizen Corps Programs

• Created to help coordinate volunteers in making
  our communities better prepared to respond to any
  emergency.
• The five programs in Citizen Corps are intended
  to provide opportunities for people to
• Make their communities safer from threats of
  crime including terrorism
• Manage disasters of all kinds.

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Citizen Corps Programs

• At a Federal level, the Citizen Corps programs
  are coordinated by Department of Homeland
  Security, funded by DHS, DOJ and HHS and
  administered by separate organizations
• Neighborhood Watch Funded by DOJ and
  administered by National Sheriffs Association

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Citizen Corps Programs

• Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) Funded by
  DOJ and administered International Association of
  Chiefs of Police
• Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTS)
  Funded by FEMA (DHS) and administered at the
  local level

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Citizen Corps Programs

• Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Funded by HHS
  through the Office of the Surgeon General.
• Fire Corps Partnership between The National
  Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), the International
  Association of Fire Chiefs, Volunteer Combination
  Officers Section (VCOS), the International
  Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), and the U.S.
  Department of Homeland Securitys U.S. Fire
  Administration

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Citizen Corps Programs

• Citizen Corps Councils Funded by DHS and
  intended to be the umbrella organizations for the
  other four programs at the state and local levels

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Arizona Central Region Citizen Corps Council
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Maricopa County 4th Most populous county in the
U.S. Population is 3.3 million (60 of states
population) 14th Largest county in size in U.S.
(9,226 square miles) City of Phoenix is the 5th
largest city in the U.S.
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Medical Reserve Corps

• MRCs are to provide opportunities to health
  professionals including those who are retired, to
  volunteer their skills in two primary areas
• Public health or other types of medical
  emergencies (e.g. pandemics flu, mass casualties
  following a natural disaster)
• Ongoing public health activities (immunizations,
  flu vaccine)

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Medical Reserve Corps

• In 2002, 47 grants were awarded in the U.S. to
  community organizations to begin the first
  Medical Reserve Corps programs.
• Three Arizona communities received grants
  Yavapai, Pima and Maricopa Counties

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Maricopa MRC

• Maricopa MRC organized in late 2002
• Initial sponsors
• City of Chandler
• Maricopa Volunteer Center
• Maricopa County Department of Public Health
• Received MRC grant
• Grant Year 1-2002/03 50,000
• Grant Year 2-2003/04 50,000
• Grant Year 3-2004/05 50,000

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MRC Grant Year 2

• In the spring of 2004, midyear in Grant Year 2,
  the MRC Coordinating Council decided to focus a
  majority of its resources on the recruitment and
  training of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
  since the number of these health professionals
  was a major rate limiting step in the mass
  dispensing clinic model used by the county at
  that time.

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MRC Pharmacy Corps

• November 2002 statewide national pharmaceutical
  stockpile exercise in Maricopa and Pima counties.
• In Maricopa County, 20 pharmacists and pharmacy
  technicians were recruited and trained for a 3
  hour dispensing drill in Mesa, Arizona using a
  neighborhood dispensing model
• After the exercise, there were no further drills
  or mass dispensing training for the next 18
  months.

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MRC Pharmacy Corps

• In January 2004, a pharmacist was hired as a
  pharmacist trainer by the Maricopa County
  Department of Public Health as part of their
  BioDefense Preparedness and Response program.
• In February 2004, the Maricopa County Pharmacy
  Emergency Preparedness Council (MCPEPC) was
  organized under the umbrella of the MCDPH and in
  connection with the Maricopa MRC

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MRC Pharmacy Corps

• Council consisted of representatives from
• States two professional pharmacy organizations
  APA AzSHP
• Midwestern College of Pharmacy
• Arizona State Board of Pharmacy
• Maricopa Area Health Education Center
• Pharmacy Wholesalers
• Maricopa County Department of Public Health
• Arizona Department of Health Services

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• Goals of Maricopa County Pharmacy Emergency
  Preparedness Council
• Forum for discussion for pharmacy personnel on
  responding to terrorism
• Coordinating body for training and planning for
  pharmacy personnel to respond to a disaster

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• Goals of Maricopa County Pharmacy Disaster
  Preparedness Council
• Review training curriculum on disaster and public
  health preparedness and response
• Support educational programs
• Serve as a resource to Maricopa County Department
  of Public Health on matters related to pharmacy
  preparedness

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• In May of 2004, the Maricopa MRC reorganized.
• A new structure was proposed in which each health
  care profession would have its own working group.
  
• The new MRC structure included a group for
  pharmacy personnel The Maricopa MRC Pharmacy
  Corps.

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• The Pharmacy Disaster Preparedness Council voted
  to become the Pharmacy Corps of the Maricopa MRC.
• MCPEPC leadership agreed to assume positions in
  the new Pharmacy Corps organization.

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Maricopa Medical Reserve Corps
MRC Executive Committee
MRC Advisory Committee MMRS Cities-Glendale,
Mesa, Phoenix Maricopa County Department of
Public Health Grand Canyon Chapter-American Red
Cross Maricopa County Office of Emergency
Management Maricopa County Hospital Disaster
Preparedness Council Arizona Department of
Health Services
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Maricopa Medical Reserve Corps
MRC Executive Committee Chair, Vice-Chair, and
Past-Chair Corps Group Leaders Secretary Treasurer
Committee Chairs Coordinator-ACRCCC Executive
Director-VCMC

• MRC Committees
• Recruitment Credentialing
• Education Training
• Policies, Procedures By-laws
• Finance Grants
• Communications

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Maricopa Medical Reserve Corps
MRC Individual Corps Leadership Corps Leader
Assistant Corps Leader Secretary Committee
Chairs Group Committees Recruitment
Validation Education Training Policies,
Procedures By-laws Finance Grants Communicatio
ns
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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• Pharmacy Corps Group Leader
• Chairs regular meetings of group leadership
• Represents group on MRC Executive Committee
• Serves as liaison to pharmacy-related
  organizations as needed
• Currently responsible for legal/liability issues

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• Assistant Pharmacy Group Leader
• Assists Pharmacy Group Leader
• Currently responsible for recruitment and
  validation of pharmacists and pharmacist
  technicians
• Works with volunteer coordinator of MCDPH-BDPR
• Works with volunteer coordinator of Volunteer
  Center of Maricopa County

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• Secretary
• Records minutes of group leadership meetings
• Responsible for communications (electronic
  initially)
• Committee Chairs
• Chair committee meetings, meetings are scheduled
  as needed
• Recruit 2-5 other committee members

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• Education and Training Committee
• Co-chaired by two faculty members of Midwestern
  University
• Pharmacy Instructors
• Committee works with the SNS Coordinator and
  Pharmacist Trainer from the BDPR of the Maricopa
  County Department of Public Health

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• Recruitment of Pharmacists and Technicians- June
  2004
• 4th Annual AzSHP/APA Joint Meeting
• Theme of conference Are You Prepared?
• MMRC Pharmacy Corps recruitment campaign kickoff
• State Health Department booth in the exhibition
  hall tonight or tomorrow for additional
  information.
• Referrals from new MRC Members

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• Recruitment After Conference
• Letters were sent to respondents of a survey done
  by Arizona Board of Pharmacy in 2002.
• Letters were sent to respondents of a survey done
  by the Arizona Pharmacy Association in January
  2004.
• Flyers were distributed through pharmaceutical
  wholesalers to all pharmacies in Maricopa County.
  
• APA sent a blast email about the MMRC Pharmacy
  Corps to all its members.

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• Registration and Validation
• All Pharmacy Corps volunteers currently register
  as volunteers through the Central Arizona Region
  Citizen Corps Council .
• Online, web based, SQL database maintained by the
  MRC.
• Go to www.maricopacitizencorps.org, .net, .com

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• Registration and Validation
• After registration in the database, email is sent
  to Pharmacy Corp Group Leader who reviews
  application and forwards information to Assistant
  Group Leader
• Assistant Group Leader confirms current status
  with state board of pharmacy and contact
  information.
• Shares information with volunteer coordinator for
  MCDPH-BDPR to be incorporated into BDPR volunteer
  database.

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• Registration and Validation
• After registration is validated, a letter is sent
  to the volunteer with information about the
  Maricopa MRC meeting schedules, committees, etc.
  
• Encouraged to enroll in Mass Dispensing Training
  Program. (May enroll in mass dispensing while
  registration is being validated)

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• Training Curriculum-Mass Dispensing
• Based on dispensing exercise curriculum from 2002
• Revised to include newly developed dispensing
  models by BDPR
• Individual and Family Dispensing
• Mass Group Dispensing
• Approval for pharmacy continuing education
  pending.

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• Training Delivery Model
• Four pharmacy instructors
• Four instruction sites throughout the Maricopa
  County area.
• West College of Pharmacy-Midwestern University
• Central Offices of United Drug
• East Arizona Pharmacy Association Office
• Far East Frys Pharmacy-Power Rd Baseline
• 12 training sessions-Aug/Sep 2004

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• Training Delivery Model
• 3 hour training course
• Review of anthrax, plague and tularemia
• Explanation of dispensing clinic models
• Set up of mock dispensing area with participants
  playing roles as dispensing pharmacists and
  technicians and as patients.

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MRC-Pharmacy Corps

• During the two month training period, 137
  pharmacists and pharmacy technicians were
  trained.
• The BDPR Office Volunteer Coordinator contacted
  them for additional training including becoming
  the POD dispensing leaders at the 11 PODs in
  Maricopa County.

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Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy CorpsThe Future?
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The Future for Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy Corps

• Provide Ongoing Training
• Incident Command System
• National Incident Management System
• Basic Disaster Life Support Course
• Advanced Disaster Life Support Course

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The Future for Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy Corps

• Provide Ongoing Training
• Pharmacy Vaccination Programs
• Basic Vaccination Program approved by Arizona
  State Board of Pharmacy
• APA Vaccination Program does not include smallpox
• MCDPH Smallpox training program-to be ACPE
  approved.

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The Future for Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy Corps

• Hospital Pharmacy POD Training
• Health Department PODs are not intended for
  hospital staff. Hospitals are on their own.
• Hospitals will receive SNS medications or have
  their own cache of drugs
• HRSA and CDC benchmarks include expectation that
  hospitals will have a plan for mass
  dispensing/immunizations
• MRC can train pharmacy departments about PODS

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The Future for Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy Corps

• Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training
  programs
• Broaden base of knowledge about disaster response
  of Pharmacy Corps volunteers
• Availability of training programs is increasing
• Optional training for all MRC members

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The Future for Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy Corps

• Participate in MRC Quarterly Educational Programs
• New Diseases, e.g. avian influenza
• MCDPH-BDPR programs as they develop
• ADHS programs as they develop
• (e.g. just-in-time mass dispensing)

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The Future for Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy Corps

• Participation in drills and exercises
• November 2004 City of Chandler employee flu
  vaccination exercise with mass dispensing of oral
  antibiotics as concurrent drill
• County exercises
• State exercises
• Regular MRC notification drills to test
  notification system and mobilization times

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The Future for Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy Corps

• Encourage participation in the new National
  Pharmacy Response Team (NPRT) program.
• Part of National Disaster Medical System program
• Registration process like that for members of
  Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT)
• Same educational requirements as DMAT team members

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The Future for Maricopa MRC and Pharmacy Corps

• Encourage participation in the new National
  Pharmacy Response Team program.
• NPRTs are a regional pharmacy resource. (Region
  IX AZ, CA, NV, HI)
• Approximately 200 pharmacists and technicians per
  team.
• Website NDMS.dhhs.gov/nprt.html

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Maricopa Medical Reserve Corps

• Contact Information
• Richard Thomas, PharmD
• MRC Committee Chair and Pharmacy Corps Group
  Leader
• C 602-616-2327
• E richard.g.thomas_at_bannerhealth.com
• Volunteer Center of Maricopa County-Phoenix, AZ
• O 602-263-9736

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Association of State and Territorial Health
Officials

• Exercising the Strategic National Stockpile
  Lessons Learned and Tools for Application
  (January 2004)
• Interstate Planning for the Strategic National
  Stockpile Experience in Five Regions (January
  2005)
• Website www.astho.org