Five Medical Center employees arrived in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday,
Sept. 8, trained and ready to help those dealing with the devastating
effects of Hurricane Frances, which has pounded the state in recent
days.
Tammy Suggs, a PGY-3 Psychiatry resident; Joanne Rains, office manager
in the General Surgery Clinic; Grace Kron, a research assistant in
Pediatric Infectious Disease; Bradley Corr, a term professional in
Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, and this writer, an information
officer for News and Public Affairs, will be working in mass care as
American Red Cross volunteers in areas devastated by the recent
hurricanes in Florida. The volunteers attended an all-day, crash-course
training session at the Nashville chapter’s headquarters where they
were trained and certified in CPR, first aid, mass care and shelter
operations.
"We wanted to be prepared for the hurricane, not knowing how bad it
would be," said Joe Flynn, director of Volunteer Resources for the
Nashville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. "We wanted to get
good people quickly, people we know and trust to serve in leadership
roles in the relief efforts, so we looked to Vanderbilt."
Through a relationship with VUMC, the Nashville Area Chapter was able
to organize a group of volunteers. VUMC offered employees paid leave to
help the victims of the disaster. The response from the Vanderbilt
community was overwhelming, and the positions were filled within hours.
"My immediate and extended family live in Florida, and I’ve seen
firsthand the devastation of natural disasters on some of their homes,"
she said. "In fact, I have some family members who have deserted their
homes this week to seek safety in community shelters. I hope that I
will be available to minister to the hurricane victims in a unique way
because of my own experience and training."
Volunteers will assist the Red Cross in a variety of capacities ñ from
serving meals in shelters to driving Emergency Rescue Vehicles (ERVs)
with supplies to families in the community. They are prepared to go
without sleep, air conditioning, electricity or running water,
depending on the community they are sent to. Despite the difficult
working environment, volunteers considered the mission an opportunity
to both serve others and gain valuable experience.
"I volunteered to go to Florida with the American Red Cross because I
saw it as a fantastic opportunity for both the affected communities and
myself," Corr said. "I am currently applying to medical schools and
recognized a chance to gain experience helping people in a time of
need. Volunteering, especially in disaster circumstances, is such an
important and beneficial aspect of community involvement."
We’re happy to have a partner in Vanderbilt, to serve in national disasters and local disasters when the need
arises," Flynn said. "We’re hoping this mission will be a building block for the future."
Story by Lisa Peper courtesy of the VUMC Reporter.