Manalapan medical corps to host regional conference
BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer

MANALAPAN — The Manalapan Medical Reserve Corps and the Community Emergency Response Team will host a regional educational conference on Oct. 22.

The conference will be held at the Manalapan Englishtown Middle School. It is co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Region II, and the New Jersey Citizen Corps. A turnout of about 35 Medical Reserve Corps registered units is expected.

Medical Reserve Corps units are community based teams of medical and nonmedical volunteers standing ready to assist in times of emergency. They also are expected to support public health services in their communities.

Units expected to attend the conference will hail from Binghamton, Syracuse, Newburgh, Buffalo, Geneseo, Rochester, Mineola, Niagara Falls, New York City, Brewster, Yaphank, Oswego, Rochester, White Plains and Phelps, all in New York state; and Bayonne, Paramus, Mount Holly, Blackwood, Cape May Court House, West Orange, Turnersville, Secaucus, Flemington, New Brunswick, Freehold, Morristown, Somerset, Newton, Harrison, Westfield, Washington and Manalapan, in New Jersey.

Medical Reserve Corps units from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands may also attend.

Kim Silverstein, Manalapan’s MRC/CERT coordinator, said, “We are extremely pleased to host this event. We believe there is considerable volunteer strength in our region and this is a step toward building better relationships, improving our communications and establishing consistent training programs throughout the region.”

A presentation by Commander Robert Tosatto, program director, Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, will highlight the program. The national MRC coordinating office is administered through the Surgeon General’s office.

Robert Davidson, acting regional health administrator, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Region II, said, “I am very pleased to be able to support this Region II conference for MRC volunteer training. The conference will provide opportunities to develop contacts within other MRC sites and share in the activities across the region.”