In the event of a public health emergency or disaster Bainbridge Island may be isolated from the rest of the county for a prolonged period of time.
Bainbridge Island Medical Reserve Corps (BIMRC) is a reserve volunteer unit that strengthens our public health, reducing vulnerability, building resilience, and improving community preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities.
Learn more about our pandemic work in this 5-minute inspirational story from Seattle news site KOMO, and about the BIMRC from team member Dr. Andrea Chymiy in this brief video overview:
The BIMRC leadership team includes:
David Cowan, MD
Director & Co-Lead, Bainbridge Island Medical Reserve Corps
Family Physician at Virginia Mason Bainbridge Island,
Wilderness First Responder, Psychological First Aid Team
Rajlaxmi Bais, DNP, ARNP
Co-Lead, Bainbridge Island Medical Reserve Corps
Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner & Clinical Nurse Specialist at University of Washington Medical Center
Wilderness First Responder, Psychological First Aid Team, Severe Weather Shelter Team
Devin James
Co-Lead, Bainbridge Island Medical Reserve Corps
Firefighter and EMT
Wilderness First Responder, Psychological First Aid Team, Severe Weather Shelter Team
The BIMRC operates as part of the emergency response capabilities of Bainbridge Prepares in cooperation with COBI and BIFD, and in concert with our regional partners: the Kitsap Public Health District and the Northwest Health Response Network. The BIMRC will “stand up” a disaster medical clinic to provide a next level of care beyond the capabilities of our community’s Disaster Hubs.
Guided by our BIMRC Code of Conduct, recent activations have included providing staffing for COVID-19 testing sites and vaccination sites throughout Kitsap County.
The BIMRC also oversees our N95 Fit Test Team. If your organization has need for N95 fit testing, please contact us here.
You are eligible to join us if you are a current or retired healthcare worker living or working on Bainbridge Island. We’d love to have you!
The BIMRC offers members of the healthcare community interested in volunteering during a disaster the opportunity to:
- Learn how to better prepare for a disaster (both personally and professionally)
- Give back to the community as a volunteer during a disaster or public health emergency
- Gain valuable training in disaster preparedness and response
Current or recently licensed medical, public health, and other allied health professionals as listed here are all encouraged to apply to join the BIMRC.
|
Our volunteer requirements are straightforward. After you complete the onetime application process, you will need to:
- Complete & maintain an active BLS/CPR and AED certification
- Complete & maintain a personal/family preparedness plan
- Complete two easy/fast online training courses: ICS 100 and FEMA IS700
- Participate in ongoing skills trainings offered through the Bainbridge Prepares partnerships
- Recommended trainings/refreshers- many trainings are free, while some larger scale trainings may have a reduced fee if taken through the BP/COBI/MRC partnership offerings.
- Blood borne pathogens (free online)
- Wilderness First Responder (WFR) or Wilderness First Aid (WFA)- renews every 2 years.
- Stop The Bleed training
- Radio Ops training
- Psychological First Aid (PFA) training (free online)
- If you are a licensed medical provider and plan to volunteer in that capacity, you will also be required to keep your WA state medical licensure current
Do you have questions you need answered before joining us? Please let us know! You can email us via the individual Leadership Team email aliases listed above, or as a group via:
You must be logged in to post a comment.