Arizona now has several mass vaccination sites giving coronavirus shots to thousands of people per day. But keeping those sites running requires volunteers. And Arizona’s National Guard says more help is needed.
→ Q&AZ: What You Need To Know About Getting The Coronavirus Vaccine In Arizona
Task force medical commander Col. Tom Leeper said the Arizona National Guard has only about 40 medical personnel for the whole state, and the Guard wants to be able to send them to areas of Arizona with fewer medical resources to help accelerate vaccinations. But to do that, the Guard first needs medically qualified vaccinators to volunteer in Maricopa County. Leeper said the National Guard is looking for recently retired doctors or nurses.
“[Arizona is] allowing those folks, if they’re four or five years out, to get a temporary license so they can come and provide vaccinations," Leeper said.
Leeper said the National Guard is holding weekly orientations for medical volunteers.
He said vaccination sites also have plenty of roles for volunteers who don’t have medical backgrounds.
“If they would like to do traffic control, provide documentation services, work on an iPad to register and check people in, there are a lot of things that volunteers can do,” Leeper said.
He added that volunteers will have the opportunity to get the vaccine if they have not been inoculated yet.
Volunteers can register with the Arizona Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals. Maricopa County Public Health is also seeking volunteers for its vaccination sites.
