By: Davy James – Staff Writer
When an emergency strikes, preparedness for what may come is crucial for first responders.
With that goal in mind, a group of volunteers has joined together to form the South Brunswick Volunteer Nurses Corps. The Nurses Corps will assist the township Board of Health and the Office of Emergency Management with a number of various purposes from health screenings to emergency situations.
"The Volunteer Nurses Corps was formed at the end of the H1N1 clinics the township had in April," said township public health nurse Nancy McKay. "We had 44 nurses for those clinics, and when it came to an end, we said we’d like to stay together because we enjoyed working with each other so we started exploring ways to make that happen."
Soon thereafter, the Volunteer Nurses Corps was formed under the banner of the township Board of Health to support the goals and activities of the Board of Health on a volunteer basis.
"This group is unique because it’s just nurses, and we offer training that’s relevant to nursing," Ms. McKay said.
The Nurses Corps consists of 20 volunteers from various specialties in the nursing profession and live in South Brunswick. Thus far, the Nurses Corps has held several meetings and participated in two township events, the South Brunswick Public Library’s Family Fun Day and National Night Out, where they distributed health and wellness literature.
Nurses must accumulate 30 continuing education units every two years to maintain their nursing license so the group also offers volunteers the chance to earn units through training sessions at no cost. But the mission of the Nurses Corps will continue to be providing support for the township Board of Health.
"The vision for this group is to support the Health Department in activities both clinical and for health and wellness education," Ms. McKay said. "But in the event of an emergency, we will have a group of prepared nurses who would report to the Office of Emergency Management and be able to provide support quickly because, in an emergency, you can’t wait for training."
The Volunteer Nurses Corps is looking for additional volunteers. For more information, call Ms. McKay at 732-329-4000, ext. 7258.

