Twenty-plus deployments across the country. Coast to coast. And this month, Elizabeth Quinn was on standby to fly to Guam via Hawaii for a Category 5 typhoon response. On this episode of The Valley Today, host Janet Michael continues her year-long Red Cross series with Deb Fleming, Executive Director of the Greater Shenandoah Valley Chapter, joined by Elizabeth Quinn — the Disaster Health Services Lead and a retired nurse who leads the volunteer nursing team responsible for the health side of every Red Cross disaster response, from home fires down the street to hurricanes across the country.

Elizabeth walks through what the nursing deployment actually looks like: contact within 24 hours of a disaster to help families replace prescriptions, glasses, dentures, hearing aids, CPAPs and BiPAPs, and other health essentials the survivors probably haven't even started to think about yet. She explains the community-based model (RN-led, with physicians serving under nurse supervision — Elizabeth's favorite perk), the streamlined 8.5-hour training (down from 20), and the game-changing option most new nurse volunteers don't know exists: virtual deployments, where a nurse anywhere in the country can serve disaster survivors from their kitchen table for a scheduled shift. Plus a genuinely powerful story from a Mississippi shelter, where a nurse stayed two hours after her shift to help a gentleman who couldn't read reconnect with over $6,000 in back benefits he'd already earned. Deb closes with a national update — home fires, a hydrochloric acid train spill, flooding in Minnesota and Michigan, the Guam typhoon, blood donation shortages, and FIFA World Cup event support — and teases next month's guest: Dave, the volunteer who maintains Red Cross buildings across multiple regions (assuming she can convince him).

WHO CAN VOLUNTEER AS A DISASTER HEALTH SERVICES NURSE

• Registered nurses (RNs) • Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) • Physicians (serve under RN supervision in this program) • EMTs (locally within the state they are licensed) • Any licensed healthcare professional with a current, active license

WHAT DISASTER HEALTH SERVICES ACTUALLY DOES

• Contacts families within 24 hours of a home fire or larger disaster • Helps replace lost medications, glasses, dentures, hearing aids, CPAPs, BiPAPs, and other durable medical equipment • Provides emotional support, physical support, and health navigation during recovery • Coordinates with pharmacies, insurance companies, and case managers on disaster overrides and paperwork • Works local, national, and virtual deployments

TWO WAYS TO DEPLOY IN PERSON

Travel to shelters and disaster sites nationwide (typical two-week commitment). Elizabeth has completed 20+ of these across the continental U.S.

Virutally serve clients from your home computer and phone, on shifts scheduled around your life. Same training requirements. Current biggest need. Same client outcomes without leaving home. Perfect for currently-working nurses, retirees who prefer to stay local, and anyone who wants to help without the travel commitment.

HOW TO SIGN UP

1. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS, or contact the Greater Shenandoah Valley Chapter directly
2. Complete a short application and interview to identify your interests
3. Nurse applications are routed to Elizabeth for a personal call
4. Complete 8.5 hours of self-paced video training
5. Attend one 90-minute live interactive online class
6. Complete platform-specific computer training with Elizabeth
7. Come onto the schedule — always backed by a seasoned nurse for as long as you need

LINKS & RESOURCES

• Sign up to volunteer: redcross.org → click "Volunteer" or call 1-800-RED-CROSS

• The Greater Shenandoah Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross — contact for local nurse volunteer opportunities

• Give blood (currently in national short supply): redcrossblood.org

• Last month's episode with Jill Johnson (general volunteer): https://thevalleytodaypodcast.com/red-vest-ready-a-red-cross-volunteers-story

THE VALLEY TODAY with Janet Michael — A decade of conversations.

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