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Profile
Vicky Kistler
Director
Allentown Health Bureau
Vicky has lived and served in the Lehigh Valley her entire life. She came to the Allentown Health Bureau in 1993 as the Communicable Disease Manager. Later, Vicky became responsible for Public Health Emergency Preparedness efforts and subsequently assumed the position of Acting Director in December 2006. Vicky has written, conducted and evaluated preparedness drills and worked closely with a variety of Emergency Preparedness organizations throughout the Lehigh Valley.
July 14, 2009

Patti Milot
Registered Nurse
Patti Milot is a graduate of Lehigh Carbon Community College RN program class of 2000. Since October 2005, she has been employed as a Parish Nurse at St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church at 36 S. 8th St. Allentown, PA 18101. She works in conjunction with Sacred Heart Hospital's Community Outreach/Parish Nursing Department. As a Parish Nurse, Patti takes care of her clients wholistically, which means, caring for the mind, body, and spirit.
April 16, 2007

Hal Bendit, D.O.
Our First Volunteer
Hal Bendit, D.O., Chairman, Dept. of Family Medicine at St. Luke's Hospital, Allentown PA, has become AVMRC's first volunteer. Hal joined our organizational efforts shortly after returning from an illuminating experience in Louisiana following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He has been practicing family medicine in Macungie, PA for over 20 years. Hal will be part of the AVMRC team situated in the Parish of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 8th and Walnut Streets, in Allentown.
January 17, 2007

Issue
Please Sign On as an AVMRC Volunteer
AVMRC needs your time, your skills, and your heart.
Please access the volunteer enrollment form by clicking on JOIN US.

Volunteers tour emergency facility
January 3, 2013

On August 3, 2012 over 30 members of the Allentown Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps, Applewood CERT and Lehigh County Citizens Corps visited the Pocono Raceway.

These members received a tour of the state of the art medical facility that is a permanent facility and treats NASCAR drivers, pit crew members and fans.

They also toured the portable hospital that is erected and staffed by Lehigh Valley Health Network and partner agencies.

This portable emergency room was air conditioned and contains equipment that allows the treatment of 12-16 patients at any given time.

It is estimated that this facility can see upwards of 300 persons each race weekend.

Many are treated for falls, sun exposure, dehydration, excessive alcohol consumption and a variety of other illnesses and conditions.

Along with the medical units, members were given an overview of the federal assets that are stationed at the nationally televised events.

These assets monitor safety (air quality, etc..) and are located nearby to insure a rapid response to terrorism or any emergency/disaster.

The trip was very interesting and members found the state of the art medical equipment and the organizational response protocol to be eye opening.

Sadly the visit occurred only days before a freak lightning strike killed one person and injured several others at the track.


AVMRC Seeks New Volunteers
January 2, 2013

The City of Allentown Health Bureau is seeking volunteers interested in serving as a member of the Allentown Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (AVMRC).

"It is incumbent upon government health officials to review and update plans for handling emergencies," said Allentown Health Bureau Director Vicky Kistler. "We have decided to expand the AVMRC and so we are looking for new members."

For additional information and to register, please contact MaryEllen Shiels at the Allentown Health Bureau at 610-437-7510.


Links to Get Ready videos available
December 10, 2008
Allentown Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps is featuring two important public awareness tools on emergency preparedness,Get Ready 2 Get Connected, aimed at the needs of special populations, and Get Ready, a more general video on preparedness, are now online, and you can access them either by going to the AVMRC website, www.avmrc.org, and clicking on the names of the videos at the far right of the headers on the top of the home page, or by clicking on the links below:

http://www.avmrc.org/videos/getready2.html
http://www.avmrc.org/videos/getready.html

If you double click on the video screen when the video begins to play, it will fill the screen. It looks great and can be used to show to small groups.

Allentown to conduct HAZMAT drill July 21
July 14, 2008
On Monday July 21st the City will conduct a HAZMAT drill. The Health Bureau will be responsible for operating the call center at Muhlenberg College from 8am-12 noon. Volunteers are needed. If you are interested in participating, please contact AVMRC by emailing Ara Barlieb at medreserve@allentowncity.org.

Emergency Preparedness Drill Saturday May 10
May 6, 2008
Volunteers needed to act as victims are being asked to report to William Allen High School (126 North 17th Street) at 8am on Saturday May 10th. At the school, you will receive a script detailing your "injuries" or situation. While you are acting as victims, others will be performing the duties of operating an emergency call center where community volunteers will be calling and asking for information on the victims and the school schedule.
The scenario is that a small cargo plane leaving the airport crashes into the school while a small group is present. The date and time will be real so in the scenario school is not in session.
The drill will be conducted according to NIMS protocol (National Incident Management system) therefore the staff participating at the drill will be wearing clearly marked vests and you can certainly approach them with questions or concerns.
We will not be using real ambulance transport so some of the victims will be asked to walk two blocks to the LVH-ER at 17th and Chew, some to the ER at 17th and Hamilton and the others will be shuttle bussed to St Luke’s Bethlehem, Sacred Heart or LVH Cedar Crest. Once at the ER you will be greeted by a paramedic and placed upon a litter, into a wheel chair or sat in the chairs based upon the severity of the injuries your script says you have suffered.
Those who have been shuttled will be returned to the starting point and everyone will be asked to complete a brief evaluation of the experience. You will then be given your choice of a voucher to go out and have lunch when ever you’d like.
We hope to conclude the drill by 12:30pm.

AVMRC featured on Ready America Website
February 13, 2008

Allentown Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps is being featured on Ready America's website that is designed and maintained by the Department of Homeland Security. The featured article describes our regional efforts to enlighten shoppers at Wegman's last fall about emergency preparedness as well as a link to our Get Ready video. Check it out at http://www.ready.gov/america/about/testimonials/story1.html.


St. Paul's AVMRC Team Gives Free Flu Shots
November 6, 2007

The AVMRC team of St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Allentown gave free flu shots to members of the surrounding center city community and parish on Sunday November 4. Visitors were afforded an opportunity to receive the vaccine as well as to discuss other health issues affecting their lives and circumstances. Team members include Dr. Hal Bendit, Patti Milot, R.N., the Reverend Richard B. Baumann, and Vicky Kistler, Director of Allentown Health Bureau.


CDC en Espanol on Web
October 26, 2007
On October 11, 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Spanish-language Web site, CDC en Espanol , was re-launched with a new look and new features that will make it more usable and functional. The updated Web site is another important step in CDC's longstanding efforts to provide accurate, up-to-date information in Spanish on health issues of special interest to Hispanic communities, including information on a wide range of health promotion and disease prevention topics like asthma, cancer, HIV/AIDS, immunizations, children's health, diabetes and occupational hazards. The CDC en Espanol Web site address is http://www.cdc.gov/spanish.

AVMRC Marks Beginning of Second Year
October 9, 2007

Allentown Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps celebrates the end of the first active year of the AVMRC initiative. and the beginning of the second, with a meeting and enlistment event this evening in Moyer Hall on the campus of Phoebe Ministries, 19th and Turner Streets, Allentown, PA. Current volunteers, interested members of the community, and AVMRC administrators and staff will attend.

For more information, please call Ara Barlieb at (610) 390-0255.


St. Paul's AVMRC Holds PILL DAY Event
May 9, 2007

The AVMRC team of St. Paul's Lutheran Church parish held its second PILL DAY event on May 6, 2007 in the Church at 8th and Walnut Streets, Allentown, PA. Members of the Parish and surrounding community were invited to bring their prescription medications to discuss why they are taking them, how to take them properly, and how to store them safely. The team, consisting of a physician, nurse, social worker and pastor was also available to answer questions of a general nature regarding public health.


St. Paul's AVMRC Holds First Public Health Event
April 30, 2007

Our AVMRC team situated in the Parish of St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Allentown held its first public health event, "Pill Day," on Sunday, April 29, 2007 in the soup kitchen located in the church basement. The event was held to assist members of the parish and its surrounding community to create accurate records of their prescription medications. Team members were also available to offer blood pressure screenings and other relevant medical information. Team members Hal Bendit, D.O., Patti Milot, R.N., Jerry Brucker, LSW, and the Reverend Richard Baumann answered questions of a general public health nature from 8 to 9 A.M.


Public Health/Emergency News Feed

NYT > Money & Policy rss

  • Abortion Law in Arkansas Is Blocked by U.S. Judge
    A ban on abortion at the 12th week of pregnancy is likely to be declared unconstitutional, a federal district judge said.
        


    Sat, 18 May 2013 00:22:55 GMT
  • Well: Focaccia Recipes for Health
    This week, the Recipes for Health columnist Martha Rose Shulman experiments with focaccia, an alternative to pizza that makes a great lunch, snack or sandwich.
        


    Fri, 17 May 2013 20:57:51 GMT
  • The New Old Age Blog: After the Denial Letter Arrives
    What families can do if the V.A. rejects a veteran?s claim for caregiving benefits.
        


    Fri, 17 May 2013 17:58:22 GMT
  • Ask Well: Coated vs. Uncoated Aspirin
    If you take coated aspirin and have concerns about its absorption, you are better off crushing the tablets than splitting them. But uncoated aspirin may be the best, most cost-effective option.
        


    Fri, 17 May 2013 17:09:40 GMT
  • Well: Safety: Smoke in Nonsmoking Hotel Rooms
    Staying in a nonsmoking room in a hotel that allows smoking elsewhere does not prevent exposure to tobacco smoke, a new study reports.
        


    Fri, 17 May 2013 15:43:04 GMT

WHO news rss
  • Yellow fever vaccination booster not needed
    17 May 2013 -- The yellow fever ?booster? vaccination given ten years after the initial vaccination is not necessary, according to WHO.
    Fri, 17 May 2013 00:01:00 GMT
  • WHO statistics show narrowing health gap between countries with best and worst health status
    15 May 2013 -- The world has made dramatic progress in improving health in the poorest countries and narrowing the gaps between countries with the best and worst health status in the past two decades, according to the World Health Statistics 2013.
    Wed, 15 May 2013 00:01:00 GMT
  • 2.4 billion people will lack improved sanitation in 2015
    13 May 2013 ? Some 2.4 billion people ? one-third of the world?s population ? will remain without access to improved sanitation in 2015, according to a joint WHO/UNICEF report issued today.
    Mon, 13 May 2013 09:01:00 GMT
  • WHO Press Statement Related to the Novel Coronavirus Situation
    12 May 2013- The emergence of this new coronavirus is globally recognized as an important and major challenge for all of the countries which have been affected as well as the rest of the world.
    Sun, 12 May 2013 14:55:00 GMT
  • WHO encourages patient participation for hand hygiene in health care
    3 May 2013 -- On Hand Hygiene Day (5 May), WHO is encouraging patients and their family members to join health workers in their efforts to practice good hand hygiene. Every year, hundreds of millions of patients around the world are affected by health care-associated infections. These lead to significant physical and psychological suffering and sometimes death of patients, and financial losses for health systems. More than half of these infections could be prevented by caregivers properly cleaning their hands at key moments in patient care.
    Fri, 03 May 2013 00:01:00 GMT
Training
Recommended Training Courses On-line

IS-700.a National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction
More Information

NIMS - IS-702
More Information

CERT - Community Emergency Response Team (Introductory course offered on-line; detailed hands-on course to be offered soon)
More Information

ARE YOU READY
More Information


July 14, 2009

Resources
  • Police-Fire-Ambulance
    911
  • Allentown Health Bureau
    610-437-7577
  • Emergency Information
    610-439-5999
Detailed List

© Allentown Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps   245 North Sixth Street   Allentown, PA 18102   
Ara Barlieb, Project Coordinator
phone 610-390-0255     medreserve@allentowncity.org
updated 17 December 2009