MEXICO – The new Oxford County Medical Reserve Corps will convene an informational meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, in the Mexico Recreation Center.

The corps, which is establishing teams throughout the county to act as local responders to major events, is seeking volunteers with medical and mental health training, according to unit coordinator Kevin N. Saisi.

“Our function will be to assist Maine CDC and local hospitals with staffing hospital overflow care facilities, mass immunization clinics, and special needs shelters. We need both clinical staff as well as support personnel,” Saisi stated in a Monday report.

Corps members are screened and trained to ensure readiness to provide vaccination, health care, and emotional support services when needed.

“There is always a potential for a chemical or gas leak, and our weather seems to be getting more severe every year. We need you to be a part of our team.

“If you can sit or stand for a few hours to hand out paperwork or direct people where to go next, you are qualified. Doctors and nurses are all welcome. We also encourage our veterans and others with valuable training that would be beneficial in such instances,” he said.

David Saphier, the public health officer for Dixfield and Mexico, is working to develop a team.

The Oxford County Medical Reserve Corps is part of a nationwide program coordinated nationally by the U.S. Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General and, in Maine, by the Maine Centers for Disease Control.

According to its Web site, the corps will be joined by units being formed in Androscoggin and Franklin counties. They will be coordinated under a non-profit entity named the Western Maine Medical Reserve Corps. The three groups will cover Maine CDC’s Western Maine District.

For more information, contact Saisi at 357-3468 or ksaisi@oxfordcountymrc.org, visit www.Oxford CountyMRC.org, or write: Kevin N. Saisi, Unit Coordinator, Oxford County Medical Reserve Corps, P. O. Box 334, Rumford, ME 04276.