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KERN MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS

MARCH 2011

KMRC PRESENTS

Lucy Zarate

L ucy has been a resident of De-

lano for most of her life. She

has been a Registered Nurse for

35 years and currently works in

the Critical Care/Emergency Room.

Lucy is the Clinical Supervisor for Kern

Medical Center Emergency Department.

Why did you join KMRC?

I joined KMRC thanks to Dale Rob-

bins ,PAC . He is a KMRC member and

he encouraged me to join. I was im-

pressed by his dedication to this organi-

zation.

What was the highlight of being a

KMRC member?

I am a community person and the high-

light of being a member is to be more

helpful to those in need. I’m currently

recruiting more KMRC members from

Delano and I’m working to help develop

a KMRC Team Delano. This is very im-

portant and very exciting to me.

KMRC TRAININGS

Lessons From First Responders, what we

can all learn from EMTs and Paramedics

March 5 KMRC Training at

Hall Ambulance Training Room

1030 21st

Street, Bakersfield

8:00 a.m. – noon (4 CEUs available)

Presentation by Brent Burton, Training Divi-

sion Coordinator, Hall Ambulance Company

You might be the first to come upon an acci-

dent victim and the first few minutes are

crucial. It is during this time that correcting

a breathing problem or stopping bleeding

will actually save a life. You will also help

patients who are not in critical condition

when you prevent further injury.

Learn how to:

• place patients with full spinal precau-

tions

• control uncontrollable bleeding

• review START Triage protocols

• practice with equipment that EMTs and

Paramedics use

• tour the Hall Ambulance facility and

dispatch center

Disaster Medical Care

Under Austere Conditions (One CEU)

Tuesday, April 5, 7:00 p.m.

Beale Memorial Library Auditorium

701 Truxtun Ave., Bakersfield

Bring your friends and colleagues to hear first-

hand what it is really like to work in a disaster.

Speaker Barbara Morita , Physician’s Assistant

from northern California, will show pictures and

talk about her disaster experiences in Haiti,

Hurricane Katrina, 9-11, the Indonesian Tsu-

nami and California wildfires. See how disaster

response operates and find out the challenges

of working under austere conditions. Hear her

touching and eye-opening stories of disaster

response.

This program is open to the public! Let’s pack

the Beale Library Auditorium.

SAVE THE DATE

March 22, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

(Dinner will be provided!)

Presentation by Tim Terrio, Terrio Therapy

Fitness and Mariel Mehdipour, Public Health

Services Department

Call to Action! A closer look at the health

issues facing Kern County (2 CEUs)

Kern County suffers an obesity and chronic

disease problem of epidemic proportions.

Our youth are affected at unprecedented

levels. A recent California Health Interview

Survey found 53% of the population of

adults and teens are overweight or obese.

Poor nutrition and lack of physical activity

increase risks and acuity of diabetes, heart

disease, high blood pressure and cancers.

Kern County ranks highest of 58 California

Counties in death from heart disease and

second highest in death from diabetes. Find

out what should and is being done to the

health issues that plague Kern County.

VENUE : Pacific Education Center, 1524 27th

Street (across from San Joaquin Hospital).

Park in the parking structure and take the

outside stairs to the basement.

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STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION

KMRC IN THE COMMUNITY

DHV (Disaster Healthcare Volunteer) Drill

March 22

Are you ready for the DHV test? Have you

recently checked your DHV account to make

sure it is current?

(www.healthcarevolunteers.ca.gov, type in

your user name and password, click on

“Profile” and “Summary” and see if all tabs are

complete. Fill in any missing information and

update by going to the appropriate tab - i.e.

Contact information, etc.).

On March 22 expect calls/emails from the

Disaster Healthcare Volunteers of California

database (DHV).

Wherever you are when you get the call/

email, please answer it as quickly as you can.

This is a test to see how many members actu-

ally respond.

Remember:

• You only respond one time. If you re-

spond by phone, ignore the email and vice

versa.

THIS IS ONLY A DRILL!

KMRC Focus Team

Strategic Planning Group

KMRC needs your help and advice!

In the last three years, KMRC has established

itself, recruited about 590 members, pro-

vided disaster related training, partnered

with agencies on disaster exercises, pre-

sented our services at community speaking

engagements and events, and provided 11

KMRC medical disaster Go Packs and located

them throughout Kern County.

Now is the time to take KMRC to the next

level. Please join the Focus Team: Strategic

Planning Group. This Focus Team will meet

three times this spring (March 2, April 6 and

May 4). All meetings will be 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

at the Public Health Services Department,

1800 Mt. Vernon, Bakersfield. Please join

the Team! Everyone is invited!

Can you help? These are golden opportu-

nities to share the services of KMRC, re-

cruit new members, foster partnerships

and talk to families about disaster prepar-

edness and healthy living issues. Let’s be

visible! (Email swansonb@co.kern.ca.us if

you are available to help at a booth.)

• March 8 - BC Planetarium (6:00 –

8:00 pm)

• March 26 - Healthy Kids Expo at Rabo-

bank Convention Center (10:00 am –

3:00 pm)

• April 17 – Health and Safety Fair at

the Kern Co. Fairgrounds (noon – 4:00

pm)

• April 28 – Women’s Business Confer-

ence – no help needed for this event,

sorry!

If you haven’t yet signed paperwork that

will cover you for Workers’ Compensation

if you are officially deployed to a disaster

and if you need to have your picture taken

for a photo ID, please attend one of the

following Orientations. All will be held at

the Kern County Public Health Services

Department, 1800 Mt. Vernon Ave., Ba-

kersfield. Check in with the receptionist

and get a visitor’s pass. Orientation lasts

one hour.

Thursday, March 3, 11:30 a.m.

Thursday, April 7, 4:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 5, 11:30 a.m.

• You will have 3 choices: 1, 2 or 3 (the

message will explain what each number

means)

• To respond by phone, hit the appropriate

number of your response (1, 2, or 3) and

hang up.

• To respond by email, hit “respond.” Then

type in the appropriate number (1,2, or 3)

and hit “send.” Don’t add any writing.

Just type the number and send.

Respond and make KMRC look good!

ORIENTATION SCHEDULES

Kern Medical Reserve Corps (KMRC)

1800 Mt. Vernon Ave.,

Bakersfield, CA 93306

661-868-0194

swansonb@co.kern.ca.us

Visit www.kernpublichealth.com and click on

Kern Medical Reserve Corps.

CONTACT US

Layout : Alvin Tanicala

Thanks to Georgianna Armstrong, Kern

County Emergency Services Manager, for

the tour of the Kern County Emergency

Services Center which was used to coordi-

nate the response to the December 2010

rains/floods.

SPECIAL THANKS

A landmark health study shows where you live may play a

big role in determining whether you will become overweight,

or have an increased risk for diabetes.

The study shows Kern County is a dangerous place to live.

According to the study, Kern ranks third in a list of California

counties with a high density of convenience stores and fast

food chains compared to grocery stores.

Kern County also has some of the highest rates of obesity and

diabetes in the state.

(Source : http://www.kget.com/content/hot_link/story/New-

study-shows-obesity-linked-to-location/7Im7qVW0d0am-

FG_r2najw.cspx)