Since the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, many nurses have expressed interest in participating in disaster response activities. One way is to volunteer to serve on a medical emergency response team coordinated by the Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP). OEP, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has responsibility for managing and coordinating Federal health, medical, and health related social services and recovery to major emergencies and Federally declared disasters including natural disasters, technological disasters, major transportation accidents, and terrorism. OEP activates several types of medical response teams when a disaster is declared. Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) are groups of professional and paraprofessional personnel and logistical and administrative staff who provide emergency medical care during a disaster or other event. Additionally, there are specialized DMATs that provide specific types of care including burn, crush injury and mental health. Information on how to become a part of one of the teams is available at www.oep.dhhs.gov .
Information may also be requested from National Disaster Medical System requested at 1-800-USA-NDMS. The American Red Cross has more than 40,000 nurses serving in paid and volunteer roles. Information about opportunities to serve in the Red Cross is available at www.redcross.org.
Information provided by Commander Mary Chaffee, Vice President, Federal Nurses Association, September 28, 2001.
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