ST. LOUIS — As coronavirus vaccine efforts continue to ramp up in the St. Louis area, health departments are looking for volunteers with medical experience to become vaccinators.
During a press briefing, Dr. Alex Garza of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force said local health departments are starting to receive substantial shipments of the coronavirus vaccine. As the supply increases for health departments around the St. Louis area, it will require vaccinators to administer the vaccine.
That is where volunteers with medical experience may come in.
Dr. Garza said health departments around the area will be looking for active or retired medical workers, medical students or nursing students who can help out with distribution.
"As someone who has done vaccinations, I can tell you that it's a really terrific experience and that the people are just so grateful to be receiving vaccine," Dr. Garza said. "So if you can, please do help out."
During Wednesday's briefing, Dr. Garza provided links to various health departments and a volunteer organization called Gateway Volunteer Network.
In a Facebook post, Gateway Volunteer Network posted the following information for people interested in volunteering:
MRC or Medical Reserve Corps units are community-based and function as a way to locally organize and utilize volunteers who want to donate their time and expertise to prepare for and respond to emergencies and promote healthy living throughout the year. MRC volunteers supplement existing emergency and public health resources.
Below is a listing of the MRC offices involved in Gateway Volunteer Network. Please contact the county where you live for more information on volunteering with the MRC unit.
Missouri
City of St. Louis, MO: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/health/
Franklin County, MO: https://www.franklinmo.org/health
Jefferson County, MO: http://www.jeffcohealth.org/
St. Charles County, MO: https://www.sccmo.org/MRC
St. Louis County, MO: https://stlouiscountymo.gov/st-louis.../public-health/
Illinois:
Madison County: https://www.co.madison.il.us/.../medical_reserve_corps...
Monroe County: https://monroecountyhealth.org/
St. Clair County: https://www.co.st-clair.il.us/departments/health-department