Delco Citizens Corps Seeks 1,000 Volunteers To Get Vaccine Out
RADNOR TOWNSHIP, PA — Radnor Township today has published a call for a qualified volunteers to assist in getting the COVID-19 vaccination out in Delaware County.
The Citizen Corps of Delaware County (CCDC) hopes to find 1,000 new volunteers to support the county's vaccination distribution.
The CCDC is asking those with formal medical training, including nurses, nursing students, and retired nurses to volunteer to help ensure local vaccination efforts are successful. A significant number of non-medical personnel are needed, as well, the CCDC said.
While Delaware County has already begun vaccinations for the segment of the population classified as Phase 1A — which includes healthcare workers, EMS workers, medical examiners, funeral staff, and residents and staff of long-term care facilities — the effort to vaccinate all residents of the county over the next several months will require significantly greater resources, the notice said.
"Residents can serve their community during a very critical time as we fight this pandemic," said Ed Kline, Volunteer Management Coordinator for the County’s Department of Emergency Services.
"We are asking all residents — particularly nurses and nursing students — to continue to rise to the challenge. We know that medical personnel have been asked to go above and beyond for countless months, and ask them to answer the call again in this crucial moment in the fight to end this pandemic," Kline said.
Delaware County residents of all backgrounds, regardless of skills or medical training, are encouraged to volunteer to provide the critical support necessary to ensure the County can complete a successful vaccination drive and help end the COVID-19 pandemic. Every volunteer will make a difference, and the CCDC’s goal is to recruit volunteers from all races, religions, and cultures across the county.
Volunteers are required to participate in a free online orientation. Orientations are held each month. Nurses and nursing students are asked to participate in the upcoming orientation scheduled for Feb. 9, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Those who are interested can register online at www.delcocitizencorps.com.
Additional information, including dates and times of future orientations, can be found on the website.
Residents who register will receive a welcome email that contains additional details regarding the orientation and credentialing process. After orientation, additional training will be provided free of cost, including training for our vaccination efforts. Deployments are assigned based on the volunteer’s availability, and volunteers are only assigned to those positions they are comfortable performing.
The Citizen Corps is a branch of Freedom Corps and offers both medical professionals and non-medically qualified volunteers the opportunity to receive free training and to be part of a team to support a broad range of emergency/disaster responses to help our fellow citizens in the county.
The mission of the Citizen Corps is to improve the emergency preparedness, health, and safety of the residents of Delaware County by establishing a group of individually affiliated volunteers and affiliated community, faith-based, non-government, and business partners committed to augmenting our existing first responders and emergency management staff during times of a major emergency or disaster in or around Delaware County.
Citizen Corps volunteers serve as a critical core of a larger system of preparedness and response. Volunteers can attend important trainings on disaster mental health, emergency and disaster response, public health preparedness, and more.
Delco volunteers are part of the county emergency operation plan (EOP) and participate in important exercises that test our county and regional emergency response, the posted statement said.
This article originally appeared on the Radnor Patch
