|
.jpg) Dr.
Jan Sanchez has used her medical expertise to provide quality healthcare for
many individuals throughout her professional career.
As a member of the Medical Reserve Corps of Boulder County (MRCBC), she has
extended that same valuable knowledge to benefit her entire community.
During local
disasters, pre-credentialed, trustworthy volunteers are vital to ensuring that
an overburdened medical community receives successful support. The Medical
Reserve Corps helps facilitate this support by engaging in emergency preparation
and response initiatives that address public health and safety. The MRCBC may be
called to serve during crises such as a major flood or a pandemic flu outbreak,
and also works to educate county residents about health issues.
Since she
joined the Boulder County unit of the Medical Reserve Corps, Dr. Sanchez has
served on the MRCBC Advisory Council, helping to organize trainings and provide
direction for the MRCBC. She helped obtain funding for hand-crank radios for
medical volunteers’ “ready-kits” through her
work on a grant proposal approved by the County Commissioners.
Dr. Sanchez
said the most rewarding part of her volunteer work is the opportunity to improve
emergency preparedness in Boulder County. Trainings to set up triage centers or
mass vaccination clinics provide volunteers with experience and credentialing
that will prove immensely useful in crisis situations.
Dr. Sanchez
works to recruit volunteers by serving as the face of the MRCBC to the area’s
medical community. Her hope is that many other medical professionals will come
to appreciate the importance of the MRCBC and become involved. “Why does anyone
volunteer?” she asked. “We do it because we want to give back to the community,
and what better way to give back than in those areas we know best?” |
