Delaware County is finally forming a Medical Reserve Corp after four years of asking county council to do so! Please help the effort by becoming a medical reserve corp member. See attached flyer.

Informational Session
March 2, 2011 - MRC

The County of Delaware is pleased to join an exciting national initiative geared toward encouraging individuals to volunteer to assist during public health events. The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a branch of Citizen Corps and offers medical professionals and other non-medically qualified volunteers the opportunity to receive 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.

You are invited to learn more about this initiative at an informational/orientation session to be held:
Wednesday evening, March 2, 2011
6:00pm - 7:30pm
Delaware County Intermediate Unit
200 Yale Avenue, Morton
Please RSVP by calling
Peggy Stuart
at
610-891-5311
by February 25, 2011

Medical Reserve Corps started after the events of September 11th. With the tragedies in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, many citizens wanted to help but there were significant challenges with identifying, training and credentialing them in time of need. MRC volunteers are part of a larger system of preparedness and response. Participants attend important trainings on Psychological First Aid, Public Health Preparedness, general emergency and disaster response, and other topics. MRC volunteers also participate in important exercises that test our county and regional emergency response. They are seen, not as first responders, but as valuable resources in the national Incident Command System (ICS). Medical Reserve Corps volunteers may be medically qualified and experienced professionals such as nurses, physicians, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, social workers, physician assistants, medics, psychiatrists and psychologists. MRC volunteers may also be non-medically qualified individuals across a broad range of skills and expertise like leadership, personnel management, security, logistics, communications, etc. Specific skills and experience are nice…but the willingness to volunteer is what really counts!

A representative from Delaware County Council, the Director of Intercommunity Health and the Southeastern PA Regional Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator will be on-hand to discuss how you can be part of this vital community service. Light refreshments will be served. Please join us! Download Flyer

League of Women Voters of Delaware County

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Check out Delaware County's 36 out of 67 health ranking by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) at www.countyhealthrankings.org

Delaware County is specfically mentioned in the national report and in their press releases!
"In addition, the Rankings show sharp health disparities even in counties located right next to each other. For example, someone living in Chester County, Pennsylvania, which ranked highest in the state for overall health, has a better shot at staying healthy than a resident of nearby Delaware County, which ranked 36th out of 67 and has higher rates of smoking, adult obesity and violent crime, and higher numbers of children living in poverty."

Be a part of the Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health
Health Services Study for Delaware County
Pass it on to everyone you know!

•	Public Health Survey
•	Council Announces Public Health Survey: Deadline December 15
	•	The survey is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Hindi and Punjabe either on-line at the link below or in hard copy at any of the Delaware County Public Libraries.
	•	Delaware County Public Health Survey:
FreeOnlineSurveys.com/rendersurvey.asp?sid=pkp5dfntwebdybp620405
	•	If you have any questions about the study and/or the community survey please contact Beth Resnick at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health at bresnick@jhsph.edu or 410-614-5454.
	•	Don’t Forget to mention that Delaware County needs a centralized County Health Department!

Facts to be Concerned About

Delaware County with a population of over 550,000 residents is the largest county in Pennsylvania and the United States without a county health department !
Pennsylvania is ranked last in the United States in the number of public health workers to residents!
Delaware County loses out on millions of dollars of state Act 315 funding and federal grants every year.
Delaware County is second only to Philadelphia in the highest postive bird tests for West Nile virus in Pennsylvania. Monitoring is continuning the question is are citizens informed of spraying and prevention? see our link page to find more information www.westnile.state.pa.us/surv.htm
95 identified cases of pertussis in Delaware County this year, This is significantly higher than surrounding counties and the highest in the state. Any questions or concerns about pertussis should be directed to the PADOH at 1-877-PA-HEALTH. Further information on pertussis is available on the PADOH web site at www.health.state.pa.us or the web site of the CDC at www.cdc.gov.