Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #106664

Sandra W. Kuntz, PhD, RN, College of Nursing, Montana State University-Bozeman, Missoula Campus, 32 Campus Drive 7416, Missoula, MT 59801, 406-243-2551, skuntz@montana.edu, S. Ann Ross, MN, RN, Montana American Red Cross Nursing State Liaison (volunteer), 391 Skidoo Lane, Polson, MT 59860, and Lianna Danielson, BSN, RN, College of Nursing (graduate student), Montana State University-Bozeman, 415 Lake Loop Drive, Kalispell, MT 59901.

PURPOSE: This study describes collaboration among key state and local system partners for the development of the Montana Nurse Alert System, an American Red Cross model for recruiting disaster nurse volunteers. A key component of public health disaster plans includes mass care, mass vaccine and pharmaceutical distribution clinics, and surge capacity. System partners within the state are developing a sustainable database to meet staffing needs of local rural/frontier jurisdictions during events that overwhelm existing resources. METHODS: System partners, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), Indian Health Service, Billings Agency, Montana Hospital Association, Montana Nurse's Association, American Red Cross of Montana, and the Montana Board of Nursing, have identified specific roles and responsibilities in a Memorandum of Agreement. The Board of Nursing approved the distribution of a Nurse Alert System application in the annual LPN/RN re-licensure letter. The applications explained the need for local volunteers and described some of the specific disaster-related roles in the community. A total of 15,000 applications were distributed and approximately 1300 (8.6%) employed and retired nurses responded to the call for volunteers, RESULTS: The next step in the development of this local community/statewide partnership involves assessment of volunteer characteristics, development of the secure online data management system, establishing access to the data system by local administrators, and training volunteers by the Red Cross and/or local health departments. Sustaining readiness of licensed volunteers will require careful education, training, and exercise planning and construction of a secure and manageable database.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the characteristics of a statewide partnership established to recruit, train, and assure readiness of local community-based nurse volunteers.
• Identify three ways the Montana Nurse Alert System fulfills essential service #4, "mobilize community partnerships to identify and solve health problems" in a rural/frontier state.

Keywords: Community-Based Partnership, Disasters

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation