During
the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, state health officials across the nation took quick
steps to stop the spread of infection. ESAR-VHP played a key role in that
effort in the state of Rhode Island.
In
September 2009, the Rhode Island Department of Health and the Office of
Emergency Preparedness approached the state’s ESAR-VHP program – known as RI
Responds – to credential and deploy volunteers for its mass vaccination effort
at a rapid pace.
Over
the course of one short month, RI Responds helped to quickly mobilize 400 volunteer
nurses, partnering with the state’s Nurses Association to recruit many of the
nurses and providing them with the mandatory training they needed to meet state
credential standards.
Once
trained, nurse volunteers worked from 5:00 a.m. to midnight, at one point activating
24 clinics in 24 hours, in order to administer the first round of vaccines –
all within a one month period.
Thanks
to their quick action, ESAR-VHP volunteers ultimately vaccinated an
overwhelming 87.5% of school children throughout the state—more than triple the
national average of students vaccinated.
To volunteer with ESAR-VHP in your state, click here and
follow the three steps to register.