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Lezlie Borak
ESAR-VHP and State Coordinator
OKMRC, Oklahoma State Department of Health
Oklahoma City, OK
lezlie.borak@health.ok.gov
Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Disasters and crises happen every day somewhere in America. The odds are that if it hasn't happened or touched you in some way already, it will, eventually. By being a member of the MRC, you are preparing and benefiting your community, yourself, and your family.
For two decades, Dr. John Call has been a leader, innovator, and mentor for the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps (OKMRC). He has developed many tools and initiatives used within the OKMRC, including pre- and post-deployment questionnaires and a Stress Response Team resource guide. The Stress Response Team (SRT) would not be what it is today without the vision, initiative, and productivity of Dr. John Call. “I became a volunteer when I heard about the MRC about 20 years ago. Then, 15 years ago, I helped design and obtain approval for one of the first, if not the first, MRC disaster behavioral assistance units -- the OKMRC Stress Response Team. Likewise, over the last 15 years, I have designed, written, and administered most of this unit's grants.”
Dr. Call has shared best practices and the tools he developed with other units and organizations. In addition, he has collaborated with other response organizations including the Oklahoma Conference of Churches. He has presented psychological first aid (PFA) to thousands of Oklahomans and MRC volunteers and he has developed the role of the SRT in disaster response on the scene and at Multi-agency Resource Centers as well as annual disaster memorial events, such as the Memorial Marathon benefiting the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum.
“By volunteering with the MRC you are not only enhancing your community's resilience but your and your family's resilience to disasters and crises as well.”
The MRC Recognition Awards recognize and highlight amazing contributions of MRC units, volunteers, leaders, and partners. In 2024, there were hundreds of nominations in 12 categories - covering both response and non-response contributions. Learn more about the awards and the winners at Meet Our MRC Network. Learn how to become a part of the MRC and make a difference in your community at Become an MRC Volunteer.
Oklahoma
April 2023
The Region 6/8 – Regional Medical Response System (RMRS), the lead agency for one of Oklahoma's six health care coalitions (HCCs), coordinated a timely and successful near twenty-four-hour long response to the 18 tornadoes that hit central Oklahoma on April 19, 2023. The HCC coordinated with nearby hospitals, local emergency medical services (EMS), public health, and long-term care facilities to relocate 79 nursing home residents within just three hours after a tornado destroyed their facility. The Region 6/8 RMRS used lessons learned from previous disaster responses and trainings, in addition to calling upon key relationships with their health care and emergency partner networks to respond quickly and effectively.
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“This situation shows the value of being a coalition that works together, plans together,
and understands how a response will work. Having the opportunity to not only practice a response during an exercise, but practically apply it to real world scenarios, has added incredible value to our coalition and to our Region.”
- Zakia Yazdanipour
Director of the Region 6/8- Regional Medical Response System
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Throughout the morning and afternoon of April 19, 2023, the Region 6/8 - RMRS was monitoring the events surrounding the 28th memorial anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. At the same time, HCC members were in constant communication with their partners at the National Weather Services office in Norman, OK, tracking the incoming severe weather that was expected to hit the area later that day. Around 6:00 PM, thunderstorms and severe weather began in Cleveland and South Oklahoma counties. These storms quickly formed tornados, bringing wind, hail, rain, and other severe weather along in their path. Before the storms had even hit, the Region 6/8 RMRS began coordination efforts that would eventually lead to a successful, timely, and effective response.
Throughout the afternoon, the Region 6/8 - RMRS began contacting long term care facilities and hospitals in the tornadoes’ path. The HCC’s leadership team also contacted nearby hospitals, local EMS, and public health, assembling a response team in preparation for the destruction. As the evening progressed into the night, 18 tornadoes touched down, including two tornadoes with EF3 intensity and four with EF2 intensity. Once the storms had passed, the Region 6/8 - RMRS team sprang into action, simultaneously contacting teams on the ground that were assessing damage, reaching out to health care facilities in the affected areas as the coalition worked to identify needs, and coordinating a prompt response between all emergency and health care partners. After making direct contact with each facility in the tornadoes’ path, the HCC identified two facilities that had sustained damage: one hospital which did not require evacuation, and one nursing home facility that required an immediate evacuation and relocation of its 79 residents. Throughout the storm, the nursing home facility was able to keep all residents safe and calm, moving them to safe spots throughout the facility, and keeping them in good spirits by playing games as they waited for the storms to pass. As a result, not a single resident sustained injuries.
Once the storms had passed, the Region 6/8 - RMRS team immediately began a multi-faceted effort to respond to the damage at the nursing home facility. The HCC worked with EMS, public health, and other partners including a local school where the Vice Principal volunteered to drive a school bus to transport patients from the nursing home nearly two hours away to a new, safe location. Within just three hours, the Region 6/8 - RMRS coordination team had secured placements for all 79 residents, thanks to help from neighboring HCCs and long-term care facilities.
