The best part about volunteering

April 2, 2021 — Yesterday, every Californian over the age of fifty became eligible for a vaccine. Later this month, every Californian over the age of 16 will be eligible. There haven’t been any clinics for first doses for weeks, but a combination of paid staff and volunteers are busy at second dose clinics around the county. With limited or unknown supplies, getting volunteers where they can be useful is a logistical challenge. Molly Rosenhal is a program coordinator with the NCO volunteer network, which contracts with the county to send the right people to public health clinics. She says that people with medical expertise, including retired healthcare workers, can register with a state network called Disaster Healthcare Volunteers and ask to be assigned to the Mendocino County unit, where their names will appear on Rosenthal’s spreadsheet in due course. There are also some fee waivers for people who have recently retired. We’ll hear details, and a few words from two particularly dedicated volunteers.