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Emergency volunteers needed for local disaster planning The Massapequa School District and Village of Massapequa Park have partnered in a program to help provide emergency services to the residents in the district in the face of a major health crisis or threat. At a meeting held at Berner Middle School recently the program was outlined to the public and the framework was set up to be able to react and provide quick, efficient and orderly treatment at what is being called the the creation of a Point of Distribution (POD) center. A POD is "a specific location where prophylactic medications or vaccinations can be quickly distributed to the general population in the event of a public health emergency," explained Kevin O'Hara, an emergency medical technician and paramedic instructor for the Nassau County EMS Academy. "It will help ensure that Massapequa residents receive the medications or vaccinations needed in case of an emergency as quickly and efficiently as possible." From time to time, certain things can happen to overwhelm, said O'Hara. "You need to be prepared to take care of these situations," he said. PODs have already been set up in areas throughout Nassau County and were declared to be effective by the Nassau County Department of Health which conducted a countywide drill in June. The prospective POD location for the Massapequa area will be at Berner Middle School. It will be operated by Nassau County Department of Health, Village employees, community volunteers, county workers and the Medical Reserve Corps. The POD will be called to action by the Nassau County Department of Health during a public health threat and the community will be called in sections to the site. Once at Berner Middle School, people will first be brought to what is called a "Pre-Drug Orientation & Education" area, where information on the vaccines being given will be disseminated. From there, they will be asked to register and give a medical history before being treated. "You want to have an orderly flow-that's the bottom line," said O'Hara, who estimated that the typical time it takes for someone to go through the process is 10 minutes. Community volunteers are an integral part of the plan and approximately 100 volunteers are needed. These volunteers will be trained at an evening session and take part in a drill, which has yet to be scheduled. Anyone interested in volunteering for this program can contact the Massapequa Park Village Hall or the District Clerk of Massapequa Public Schools. "Neighbors helping neighbors is a great thing," said O'Hara.
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