Volunteer now for a future emergency!

As a licensed nurse, you have skills that will be in demand during any emergency that affects public health.

You can help your community by volunteering now through one of the following programs for licensed medical professionals.

As a medical professional, you can use the Department of Health’s new Web-based system to register as a potential emergency volunteer. Once registered in the Washington State Health Volunteers in Emergencies (WAHVE) database, you may be called to help during a large-scale event, but there is no obligation to participate if called upon. We understand that you may be needed at your primary workplace, which may have staffing shortages during an emergency.

Using WAHVE, you can enter your own contact information and note specialty qualifications and geographical preferences. Registration takes 30-45 minutes. Your information will be kept secure and will be available only to appropriate public health and emergency management staff during an emergency. WAHVE volunteer information will also be shared with Medical Reserve Corps units as applicable.

Visit the WAHVE Web site at www.waresponds.org to register.

Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) programs are locally based. They are composed of both medical and nonmedical volunteers and support a variety of emergency response, medical surge and public health education activities. MRC volunteers receive a formal orientation, as well as ongoing disaster training. MRC programs work closely with local emergency management agencies to ensure that volunteers are registered as designated emergency workers. This is important because registered volunteers are protected from liability when participating in an organized disaster response activity. Registering with your local MRC unit is the most efficient way of getting involved in public health response activities right now, but requires ongoing time commitments that might be difficult for some medical providers to meet.

Visit the WAHVE Web site at www.waresponds.org to get more information on the Medical Reserve Corps program.

The American Red Cross (ARC) is a national agency that provides a variety of volunteer opportunities for all skill levels and backgrounds. The ARC is well-known for providing disaster response, emergency shelter and feeding programs. Roles for licensed medical providers are sometimes limited. However, local Red Cross chapters are integrated into almost every community, and licensed medical providers are often asked to take on leadership or volunteer instructor roles for classes such as First Aid/CPR.

More information about the American Red Cross can be found at www.redcross.org.