Burlington County Seeks Medical Help To Administer COVID Vaccine

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Burlington County is seeking licensed or certified health care workers to help vaccinate residents at the county’s vaccination sites, including the planned “megasite” at the Moorestown Mall. They put out the call on Monday.

“The arrival of the first COVID-19 vaccines provides a fantastic weapon for our fight against the disease, but we have a big job in front of us to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of Burlington County residents,” Burlington County Health Director and COVID-19 Task Force Chair Dr. Herb Conaway said. “That’s why we’re looking for retired or inactive health care workers with active licenses to join our Medical Reserves Corps. Their help is going to be critical for the delivery of these vaccines, especially when we expand eligibility to the general public.”

Burlington County began vaccinating EMS workers and other eligible frontline health care employees last month at the Burlington County Emergency Services Training Center in Westampton, according to officials. Police, firefighters and other first responders are now also being vaccinated.

The Moorestown Mall has been selected as one of the state’s six proposed vaccine “megasites,” and officials expect that site to open soon. That site is intended to be a regional vaccination center and will be operated seven-days a week through a partnership between Burlington County, Virtua Health and the New Jersey Department of Health and the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. Read more here: Moorestown Mall To Serve As COVID Vaccine ‘Megasite,’ Murphy Says

A “megasite” at Rowan College of South Jersey in Gloucester County opened on Monday. Read more here: NJ’s COVID-19 Vaccine ‘Megasite’ Opens In Gloucester County

When the Moorestown Mall site opens, Burlington County said it will shift to operating mobile vaccination clinics in locations throughout the county to vaccinate populations unable to travel to the mall.

Burlington County’s Medical Reserve Corps will be called on to assist at both the mega-site and future mobile clinics.

The Medical Reserves Corps is a group of more than 600 health care professionals and volunteers who live or work in Burlington County. They train with the Burlington County Health Department and the Office of Emergency Management to prepare for health emergencies.

The group’s volunteers have already been important to Burlington County’s COVID-19 response, particularly its testing program. To date more than 30,000 people have been tested through the program, according to county officials.

They have also helped with contact tracing, flu shot clinics and Burlington County’s monthly food distribution events. More recently, they have also helped with the county’s initial COVID-19 vaccinations.

From March through October the entire Corps had volunteered over 7,800 hours in service to county residents.

“Since the very start of the pandemic, our Medical Reserve Corps have been on the pandemic front lines of our COVID-19 response with our Health Department, hospital employees and first responders,” Burlington County Commissioner Dan O’Connell, the board’s liaison to the Department of Health, said. “When the call went out, our volunteers stepped forward and have been willing to help in any capacity. They have been an integral part of our response, and we will be depending on them again during this next phase. We can’t thank them enough for their willingness to step up and help us safeguard public health.”

Burlington County is seeking licensed certified health care workers, both practicing or retired, and community volunteers such as interpreters and social workers or support staff.

Under emergency executive order, doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who have recently retired or have allowed their licenses to lapse within the last five years can temporarily reactivate their licenses through the following link: COVID-19 Retiree Re-Activation - A Call to Action (njconsumeraffairs.gov).

Anyone interested in volunteering to help with COVID-19 vaccinations can register with the Medical Reserve Corps at https://www.nj.gov/health/lh/njmrc/ or call 609-265-5468.