NCO COORDINATES VOLUNTEERS IN COUNTY
Contact tracers, others needed during Covid-19 pandemic
“With six program coordinators and many volunteers doing a wide variety of tasks, the one thing that is most important to us, our primary focus, is the volunteers. They are our clients and our job is to make sure their whole experience is a positive one,” says Rebecca Enberg, program director for North Coast Opportunities Volunteer Network.
NCO’S two primary volunteer programs are federally-funded through Americorps Seniors— the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, a network of national service programs for Americans 55 years and older, and the Foster Grandparents Program.
RSVP contains a variety of subsidiary programs—for which they monitor all volunteers—and includes the Community Emergency Response Team, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, the Ukiah Valley Trail Group, the Humane Society and the Cancer Resource Center. Also included is the Meals on Wheels Program for which they refer volunteers but do not manage them.
The Foster Grandparents Program provides volunteer opportunities for income-qualified classroom mentors who receive a $3 per hour, tax-free stipend. This has been a challenging time for them to deliver their services.
Good Company Visitors, Companion Callers and Helping Hands grocery and pharmacy delivery are programs recently developed to serve homebound seniors.
Other volunteer opportunities are available at the Caring Kitchen, the Gardens Project and the county library, sheriff’s office, administrative offices, animal care services and museum.
Enberg says that there are those who are dedicated, who have been doing it for years, but more typically volunteers will burn out and need to take a break.
“It’s a rotating cycle and we are always in need of volunteers,” she says. “I tell my staff we are recruiting for everything all the time.”
In working with individuals, they remove barriers to make the volunteering experience rewarding and successful. If a volunteer lives out of town and wants to, for example, volunteer at Plowshares, they will provide mileage reimbursement.
All volunteers are provided with insurance protection (while on the job) to cover out of pocket expenses that might be incurred; vehicle coverage— minus deductible—while driving on the job; legal coverage and a $2,500 death benefit.
With the the surge in COVID cases and the state’s push to vaccinate more people, NCO is working in partnership with the county to increase volunteer coverage for contact tracing, for grocery and medical deliveries to those in isolation and quarantine and at the vaccination clinic.
The initial roll-out for the contact tracers received a large response from the community but with the COVID case count continuing to rise, volunteers have not been able to keep up with the daunting task at hand.
“We could use a new group of volunteers for this,” she says.
Training for contact tracers begins with an initial halfhour Zoom orientation followed by online trainings from Johns Hopkins University and from the state. Bilingual tracers are highly sought.
Contact tracers work with people who have been diagnosed with an infectious disease to identify and provide support to
those who may have been infected through close contact with that person and provide health education and guidance to interrupt ongoing disease transmission..
The volunteer delivery service is put into motion once people have been identified as having to isolate or quarantine, supplying those who have no other means of support with necessary groceries, household goods and pharmacy supplies.
“Grocery delivery assignments can be tricky,” says Enberg. “Who has a truck? Who is willing to go down dirt roads? Who can drive after dark? It feels like we’re casting a play.”
Volunteers are needed to assist with the vaccination clinics that are underway at Carl Purdy Hall for vaccination, registration, logistics and line control.
Volunteer licensed health professionals are required to register at healthcarevolunteers.ca.gov; the site is monitored by NCO and those who are credentialed will be contacted by Enberg. Non-medical people may volunteer for the other positions at the clinic.
And there are those she talks about who have risen to the top in how willing they are to go above and beyond the call of duty.
Karen Rizzolo who lives in Potter Valley drives into Ukiah to pick up supplies at the Food Bank for families out her way and has volunteered as a contact tracer and at the vaccination clinic.
“I admire her dedication, how she accommodates, with such patience and grace, the inconveniences we put her through to make it happen.”
Ona Rynearson, who lives in Fort Bragg, picked up a pharmacy delivery and paid out of pocket for an unexpected co-payment. A couple of weeks ago she shopped for a family in Westport requiring specialized plant based and organic food.
“She had a two-hour window that day and just made it happen.”
On Thanksgiving eve, NCO’S food truck broke down on its way to Caspar’s community center. It was dark outside, three hours late and families in Fort Bragg were waiting for their holiday dinners, as well. Enberg put a text out to all her volunteers: Is there anyone in Fort Bragg whocanmeetthemat7pm and pick up the food?
Cynthia Martin, who had never done a food delivery, volunteered and took care it.
Candace Horsley volunteered way back in the beginning to coordinate meals from five restaurants in the Pear Tree Center to be delivered to frontline workers, those working retail, creating a win-win for the restaurants that were forced to close and for those receiving meals and the recognition they so well deserve. She works at the clinics, as well.
For those who are interested in volunteering, call 707-462-1959 or go to NCO’S website at volunteernco.org. to register.