Local Health Departments Seek Volunteers for Medical Mass Dispensing Training

What if there was a catastrophic emergency that required our entire local population to receive medication within 48 hours in order to survive? Would you be willing to help?

It is an alarming scenario, but the reality is that a public health emergency can strike at any time. That is why it is important for communities to be resilient—to actively plan and prepare for emergencies so they are able to bounce back quickly and efficiently after a disaster.

As part of the CDC’s goal for local health departments to build more resilient communities, Ledge Light Health District, Uncas Health District and Northeast District Department of Health are looking for individuals 18 and older that would be interested in helping the community during a public health emergency to participate in a mass dispensing training on Saturday, March 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Groton Senior Center, 102 Newtown Road, Groton.

The training will include presentations from FBI Special Agent Daniel Coleman and Alan Boudreau, Strategic National Stockpile Coordinator at the CT Department of Public Health. The presentations will be followed by an interactive tabletop exercise. Lunch will be provided for all volunteers.

“This is an interactive way for people to experience the set-up of a mass dispensing area in the event of an emergency,” said Kris Magnussen, Supervisor of Communicable Disease Prevention at Ledge Light Health District. Magnussen said the exercise would be scenario-based to help people think critically and work together to make decisions about what to do in various situations.

You do not need to have a medical background to volunteer, just an interest in helping your community in the event of an emergency!

To register, please contact Kris Magnussen at 860-448-4882 ext. 331 or download and fill out the form on our website at llhd.org and email it to kmagnussen@llhd.org or fax it to 860-448-4885 by Wednesday, March 20.