Tennessee's Volunteer Spirit Put to Work for Public Health

National Volunteer Week is April 18-24

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Health is working to ensure Tennesseans are prepared in the event of public health or other medical emergencies. In recognition of this year’s National Volunteer Week and theme, Celebrating People in Action, TDOH is recruiting and registering volunteers with medical backgrounds and other skills sets across the Volunteer state. National Volunteer Week is being observed April 18-24 this year, and TDOH is highlighting volunteer service in support of emergency preparedness plans.

“Tennessee is known for its volunteer spirit, so what better way to show it than assisting your fellow Tennesseans?” said Health Commissioner Susan R. Cooper, MSN, RN. “Health outbreaks such as the H1N1 flu pandemic and natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina remind us of the need to have volunteers ready to respond to ensure our safety and meet the health needs of residents of this state.”

Volunteers with all types of skills and experience will be needed for clinics, sheltering operations and potential inter-hospital emergency support. Volunteers needed include:

• physicians
• physicians assistants
• nurses
• clerical/secretarial staff
• data entry/medical records personnel
• pharmacists/pharmacy technicians
• individuals for traffic control and parking
• individuals for crowd control
• translators (multiple languages including sign language)
• emergency Medical Technicians
• Information technology personnel
• clinical professionals and/or students who are willing to be trained to assist with immunizations (must be at least 18 years of age)

The Tennessee Department of Health uses the Tennessee Volunteer Mobilizer and regional Medical Reserve Corps units to build a network of medical and non-medical volunteers to support the public health workforce. Under the guidance of the National Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals, the development of Tennessee’s standardized program for registering and verifying the credentials of volunteer health professionals in advance of an emergency or disaster improves the health, safety and resiliency of local communities.

“National Volunteer Week is a great opportunity for Tennesseans to become involved in their community and recognize meaningful ways to contribute,” emphasized Cooper. “I encourage all Tennesseans to look for an opportunity in your community and step forward to lend a hand.”

To become a volunteer, register online at http://health.state.tn.us/volunteer/than_volunteer.htm indicating your volunteer preferences, skills, licenses and certification. For more information on becoming a volunteer, you can also contact the Regional Volunteer Coordinator for your area as listed below.

Region	Phone Number
Northeast	423-979-3200
East	865-546-9221
Southeast	423-634-3124
Mid Cumberland	615-650-7000
Upper Cumberland	931-528-7531
South Central	931-380-2532
West	731-423-6600
Metro Nashville/Davidson County	615-340-5616
Chattanooga/Hamilton County	423-209-8000
Knoxville/Knox County	865-215-5273
Jackson/Madison County	731-423-3020
Memphis/Shelby County	901-544-7583
Sullivan County	423-279-2777

By entering and keeping your contact information current, you will be automatically notified in the event of an emergency. There are a number of health care professionals and community members already included in the TVM registration and notification system. These individuals are being asked to update their contact and licensure information.

The TVM is a Web-based system designed to serve as a single, centralized source of information to ease the intra-state, state-to-state and state-to-federal deployment or transfer of volunteer health professionals and other volunteers. TVM gives Tennessee the ability to quickly identify and assist in the coordination of volunteers in an emergency.

The MRC, housed in the Office of the United States Surgeon General, is a national network of community-based volunteer units that organize and utilize public health, medical and other volunteers. MRC recruitment supports existing local agencies throughout the year with preparedness and response activities during times of need. MRC volunteers are registered and deployed through TVM and are involved in organized efforts at the local level as units.