The Mesa County Health Department has a wide variety of opportunities for volunteer service. We appreciate your interest and willingness to help us provide "Wellness in a Safe Environment."
For information, please contact Marsha Thorson at 248-6976, or email MRC@mesacounty.us
Volunteering for Haiti Earthquake
Updated January 29, 2010 at 10:05am
Thanks to many of you for inquiring about assisting with the response in Haiti and for those of you who are willing to be deployed. I have continued to have conversations with our MRC representatives at state, regional, and federal levels about MRC deployment. Still, the MRC is NOT being deployed, however, that could change at any time. Given the devastation and impending need for assistance, we would like to encourage preparation for deployment. Please take the following steps:
1. Notify Marsha Thorson if you are interested in helping.
2. Register on the Colorado Volunteer Mobilizer (CVM) at https://covolunteers.state.co.us/VolunteerMobilizer/ or click here for a hardcopy application.
On the CVM, sign-up for the "Haiti" group which will be managed at the state level. I can put you in this group if you would like, or you can log-on to your CVM account and sign-up yourself. My understanding is that higher preference for deployment will be given to nurses and physicians.
Additional paperwork to have in order is a passport. You will need to provide an expiration date for your passport on the CVM.
If you have forgotten your log-in information, I can give you your username and reset your password.
3. Complete two online courses, IS-100a and IS-700a and provide copies of completion certificates to Marsha Thorson. These courses can be accessed for free through Co.Train (http://www.co.train.org). If you would prefer to take the course in a traditional classroom setting, please let me know and we can pull a class together quickly.
4. Please share this information with anyone who has an interest.
5. There is a serious need for translation abilities is needed for French and Creole.
6. Another place to sign-up that is managed at the federal level is to send an email to Haiti.volunteer@hhs.gov -- they are particularly interested in medical professionals and will call you back if you are needed. These arrangements will be made between you and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) directly. As of January 26th, 270 personnel were currently deployed to Haiti from HHS.
More details on the registration process are below:
What do I need to do to become a volunteer?
It's easy! As easy as 1-2-3!
1. Contact Marsha Thorson at 248-6976, or email MRC@mesacounty.us
2. Register on the CVM
All of our volunteers must complete a one-time registration with the Colorado Volunteer Mobilizer (CVM). Please visit https://covolunteers.state.co.us/VolunteerMobilizer/ to register. Indicate on the first page that you are with the Mesa County Medical Reserve Corps (this is our umbrella group for all volunteers), and you are welcome to sign up for any of the other units/groups across the state.
If you are not clinical, please indicate 'Other' and the remaining medically/clinically related questions can be skipped. Again, please contact me if you have any problems with this website. Also, please notify us once you have completed this process (248-6976 or MRC@mesacounty.us).
We do have hard copy applications and can assist you with this registration process (click here). Once registered, please call or email us at MRC@mesacounty.us or 248-6976. If you have already registered - THANK YOU! Please ensure your information is current.
3. Complete two online courses
Please complete the online courses IS-700a and IS-100a, these can be accessed through Co.Train (https://www.co.train.org/DesktopShell.aspx). We can assist you with setting up an account and in completing these courses. Just ask! Please provide documentation of these completed courses to us via email or hard copy. THANK YOU!
What does volunteering offer me?
Volunteering offers several benefits. When you volunteer you are giving something back to your community by lending a helping hand to people and organizations. Volunteering also benefits you as an individual. Below are just a few good reasons to get involved in the community, including learning something about yourself.
- Networking
- Explore career and personal interests
- Earn recommendations for future employment or college applications
- Develop marketable job skills
- Build your resume
- Further your education through (often free) courses and trainings
- Uncover hidden skills and talents
or refresh old ones
- Have fun
while making a difference!
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Newsletters
Our newsletters are issued quarterly. If you would like to join our distribution list, please send us an email at MRC@mesacounty.us or call us at 248-6976. Our newsletters recognize those who have participated in various events, offer numerous resources, and other opportunities such as courses and trainings that are often FREE. Please browse our past editions:
2010 opportunities
We have several opportunities available for volunteering in 2010. Below are some of the specifics, please notify me of your interest by contacting Marsha Thorson (248-6976 or MRC@mesacounty.us) so we can keep you posted of meetings, trainings, or other activities to prepare for each event. |
Health Services
