Oklahoma Nurses.

OK MRC Nurses

Oklahoma MRC Nurses is the MRC unit sponsored by the Oklahoma Nurses Association. The MRC is a national network of local, community based groups of medical, non medical and public health volunteers who are organized and utilized to prepare for and respond to disasters within their community. The Mission of the OKMRC is to pre-identify, organize, train, and sustain a cadre volunteers who will contribute their skills and expertise to emergency preparedness, response, and recovery efforts, by supplementing existing response infrastructures in local communities across the State of Oklahoma during times of community need and in ongoing public health efforts.

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MRC Responds to Hurricane Gustav

1200 Volunteer Hours at the Lucent Shelter

Labor Day weekend our neighboring states were threatened with the potential destruction of Hurricane Gustav. Louisiana declared mandatory evacuation of several parishes. As a result, the OKMRC was activated to support Medical, Public Health, Mental Health and Pharmacy Operations in the OKC Lucent Center Evacuee Shelter. From Labor Day Monday through Friday of that week this Shelter housed approximately 1700 displaced guests from the state of Louisianan. A screening area and clinic were set up while EMSA was able to treat and transport those residents with critical needs. At the clinic, nurses, pharmacists, physicians, other medical professionals and many support staff saw 945 individuals with 480 different diagnoses and generated 580 written prescriptions. In the screening area MRC volunteers offered countless blood pressure screenings, checked blood sugars for diabetic residents, took medication histories and listened compassionately to the residents. Other volunteers with backgrounds in mental health made rounds within the shelter talking and giving support to the evacuees. At the end of a long week, 116 OKMRC volunteers had given in excess of 1200 hours to support shelter operations.

MRC staffs First Aid Station at the Putman City Band Contest

On Saturday, September 27th the OKMRC staffed a first aid station at the Putman City Band Contest. This event drew approximately 6,000 participants and observers. OKMRC volunteers administered first aid in support of local EMS. The First Aid Station was open from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm and saw a variety of problems including: sprains, bruises, asthma, and bee stings. The presence of our volunteers allowed EMSA to remain on call for emergency medical and transport needs, without tying up a significant amount of EMS assets.

MRC participates in September National Preparedness Month

The Oklahoma MRC partnered with the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security and Health Departments and hundreds of volunteers across the state promoted personal and family preparedness. during National Preparedness Month, September 2008. Preparedness Month activities included the following:

Tulsa Zoo Enrichment Day

The OKMRC co-sponsored the Tulsa Zoo's Annual Enrichment day at which the Oklahoma Lt. Governor Jeri Askins kicked off events with the Governor's proclamation for Preparedness Month. A press conference targeted the importance of family and individual preparedness. This event drew over 4,000 people and provided families with hands on opportunities to make their lives healthier and safer.

Wal-Mart

On Saturday, September 20th from 2:00-6:00 pm., 111 OKMRC volunteers assisted the Oklahoma Preparedness Month Partners by manning preparedness booths and promoting the "get a kit, have a plan, be informed" initiative in Wal-Mart and Sam's Clubs across the state.

Public Schools & ReadyOK Family Preparedness

In addition, family preparedness was promoted in Tulsa and Oklahoma City area public schools during the week of September 14th, by encouraging elementary school students to utilize the ReadyOK family preparedness checklists to talk with their family and friends about the importance of being personally prepared. Four schools in both the Oklahoma City area and in the Tulsa area were chosen to pilot this, hopefully annual, event. The school in each region with the highest percentage of student participation will win a recess celebration with Radio Disney celebrities.

The Oklahoma Nurses Association thanks the generous volunteers across our great state!

To find out more about joining us as an OK MRC Nurse visit our website, www.okmrc.org.

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MRC Regional Meeting in El Paso

A dozen Medical Reserve Corps leaders from across Oklahoma attended the fourth annual Region VI MRC meeting was held in El Paso, Texas October 15-17, 2008. Region VI is composed of the "TALON" states of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. This region has a total of 73 MRC units with 16,000 volunteers and continues to grow. Loren Stein represented the Oklahoma MRC Nurses unit.

This year's two and a half day meeting focused our recent experiences with hurricane response, including evacuation and shelters. We also had the opportunity to learn about the U.S./Mexico Border and some related public health strategies and emergency management concepts. This annual meeting provides the opportunity for units within our disaster prone region to share promising practices and plan.