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Public Health Emergency Volunteer Information

Volunteer for Emergency Health Clinics

The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) is working in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to respond to a major medical emergency caused by a bioterrorist attack or natural disaster. Plans have been developed to ensure that safety and effectiveness are fully met so that public health will be completely safeguarded. If a disaster should occur in Tennessee, the Governor may request the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Tennessee Department of Health. The SNS is a secured stockpile consisting of sufficient quantities of medications, vaccines, antibiotics, ventilators, and numerous other medical supplies to provide medical protection to Tennesseans.

TDH is working to recruit, train and utilize 25,000 volunteers to assist in dispensing medications or administering immunizations if a major public health emergency should arise. Statewide, approximately 117 Points of Dispensing (POD's) will be opened to administer the vaccinations and/or dispense medications to the entire state population in an expedited period. To accomplish this task, TDH needs 250 volunteers per day to staff each POD. All volunteers will be appropriately orientated and trained for each assigned task.

Volunteers with all types of skills and/or credentials will be needed for each POD:

  • Physicians
  • Physicians Assistants
  • Nurses
  • Clerical/Secretarial
  • Data Entry/Medical Records Personnel
  • Pharmacists/Pharmacy Technicians
  • Individuals for traffic control and parking
  • Individuals for crowd control
  • Translators (multiple languages including sign language)
  • EMT skills
  • Information Technology
  • Clinical professionals and/or students who are willing to be trained & assist with immunizations (must be at least 18 years of age)
  • General volunteers to assist with directing patients, registration, filling forms,  answering phones, etc.

Map of Tennessee's Local Health departments

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