SALT LAKE CITY – Utah leaders said they were inundated with questions from both doctors and non-medical professionals about how to help the state in the weeks after the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine began.
Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson answered those questions on Thursday. She disclosed the state’s volunteer “call to action” effort that allows people with a professional medical background to sign up to administer COVID-19 shots and those without the expertise to help in other ways.
“We need a lot of people, and we need medical professionals and others who can help and who want to help,” she said.
Anyone interested in volunteering can do so by visiting UtahResponds.org. There, they can register in the statewide volunteer registry used to host volunteers. The website is open to all Utahns, regardless of whether or not they have medically licensed professional skills.
Once someone registers, he or she can have professional references glazed and volunteer jobs at local health departments and future vaccine clinics statewide. The site also allows people to see where there is a need for volunteers.
“We’re asking people who want to help sign up and are willing to work for a minimum of four hours,” said Henderson. “Please know that just because you are volunteering does not mean you are eligible for a vaccine.”
The Lieutenant Governor said there is “an immediate need” for volunteers qualified to administer vaccines or monitor individuals after receiving their injection. That group includes anyone who has received a medical license from the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Utah Nursing Assistant Registry, and the Utah Department of Health Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness.
The list of people who may qualify for that need includes:
- Doctors
- Registered nurses, certified practice nurses or practice nurses
- Temporary Nurses Graduate or Temporary Registered Nurses
- Paramedics or Advanced EMTs
- Certified Nursing Assistants
- Podiatrists
- Pharmacists, pharmacy interns or pharmacy technicians
- Physician assistants or medical assistants
- Certified patient assistants or certified nurse midwives
- Respiratory therapists
- Dentists or dental hygienists
- Optometrists
- Physiotherapists or physiotherapists
- Occupational therapists or occupational therapy assistants
Henderson said if someone on the professions list isn’t currency-certified to administer vaccines, the state would work with them to get certified as soon as possible.
If you don’t have medical expertise, there are still ways to help. Henderson said the state still needs volunteers for traffic control, data entry and security. Details on all the roles Utah is asking for were posted on the state’s coronavirus website on Thursday.
“It may take a few weeks for us to use you as we get these clinics statewide, but we can use vaccinators right away,” Henderson said. ‘We need you. We need you badly, and this is the bright shining light at the end of the dark tunnel. ”
Gov. Spencer Cox previously hinted that a volunteer program would be launched, especially by the time the state expects to receive more vaccines and vaccinate more people starting in March.
He added that “a tremendous amount of planning” was required to ensure that the growing supply of vaccines reached the poor of every adult in Utah who wanted one, and so they knew they would need all the help they could. to get. The state has developed a talent for volunteering, and the governor said he appreciated anyone who has already reached out to ask how they can help.
“We are grateful for the incredible volunteers we have in this state,” said Cox. “We’re going to need you. We’re going to need many of you. We’re going to have to coordinate this logically and make use of the volunteer staff we have here in the state.”