CARMEL, NY—Medical Reserve Corps volunteers teamed up with health department staff earlier this month to fine tune their outbreak interviewing skills. Two training and role-playing sessions, conducted by Christina Gulotta, MPH, the New York State regional epidemiologist, and Alison Kaufman, DVM, MPH, the Putnam County Department of Health’s epidemiologist, were held at the Bureau of Emergency Services in Carmel. Earlier this year the health department’s core outbreak team incorporated additional tiers of staff into the lineup. These staff members were among those who took part in the training to strengthen the surge capacity that is needed in a large outbreak. 

More than two dozen participants, including nine volunteers from the Medical Reserve Corps, or MRC for short, and Jackson Porter, the New York State volunteer program coordinator from Albany, attended one of the intensive two-hour trainings. Working in pairs, each person conducted a 20-minute mock interview with their partner. The scenario was a food-borne illness outbreak at a large wedding event. The goal? …to enhance their “disease detective” skills, identify “patient zero” and the source of the pathogen and stop further transmission. Everyone received a role assignment sheet, which outlined their symptoms, the foods and drinks they ingested, and other pertinent details about their wedding experience. An extensive, 14-page, 59-item questionnaire was also provided as a guide for each participant when playing the role of interviewer.

Dr. Kaufman emphasized how information obtained through interviews is one of three main components in an outbreak investigation. She said, “We do an environmental investigation at the site, obtain specimens and test them for pathogens, and conduct interviews with people who may have been exposed. We want to speak with both those who became sick and those who did not get sick. Comparisons between sick and well, alongside information from the site investigation and lab testing, all help us put the pieces together to determine what caused the outbreak and how to prevent more people from getting sick.”

“Medical Reserve Corps volunteers have played an integral role in the past departmental responses,” said Connie Bueti, MPH, who as emergency preparedness coordinator for Putnam County also manages the MRC with help from Carla Taylor, the MRC program assistant. These dedicated and trained MRC members logged more than 2,400 hours conducting contact tracing interviews and a multitude of other tasks during the COVID pandemic. They remain involved year-round at other events and can be called upon whenever the need arises, whether it is a common norovirus outbreak or something less common such as measles.

“Last year the Medical Reserve Corps marked two decades of service to Putnam County residents,” added Ms. Bueti. Nearly a hundred dedicated residents make up the Corps, with skills in areas like clinical, logistical, and administrative that make a tremendous difference in protection and strengthening health and safety in the county. To learn more or join the MRC, visit the health department’s webpage, “Who Volunteers for the MRC?

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