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MIPOD

MIPOD About Us

About Us

In December 2005, representatives from Mayfield Village, Mayfield Heights, Gates Mills and Highland Heights met, to band together in a joint community program for the first time, to prepare a plan, under the auspices of the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, in the event of a public health emergency. This effort was led by Mayfield Village Fire Department Executive Assistant, Cheryl Garinger (retired November 2019). The primary goal was to create a procedure for activation of an emergency clinic for vaccinating or dispensing pills to the residents of the four communities, in a safe, secure and low stress environment. The outcome of this meeting was the birth of the MIPOD Program (Mass Inoculation Point ODistribution).

Planning and preparations will be an ongoing process, however, the cooperation by everyone involved accelerated the process and the initial goals were achieved well before the targeted deadlines. A vital piece of this plan is resident involvement. With that in mind, residents were encouraged to attend informational meetings on the development of the MIPOD Program. This program was unveiled to the residents in March of 2006. With overwhelming success, over 200 people registered to volunteer, and the word was getting out. 

In the fall of 2006, the MIPOD team was ready for a full-scale drill, months ahead of schedule. On Sunday, November 5th, 2006, Municipal Administrators, Police, Fire, and Service department employees, along with the cooperation from the Mayfield City School District and its wonderful bus drivers, the MIPOD team activated to conduct an exercise in inoculation. To provide a realistic setting, the annual Senior Flu Shot programs held in each community, was incorporated as a tool for the drill. The drill was a complete success; over 700 people were inoculated, and those involved enjoyed the experience of being a part of this disaster preparedness drill. The following year, lessons learned from the previous drill were put to the test, and on Sunday, November 4th, 2007 a full-scale pill dispensing exercise was conducted.

The MIPOD Team Committee is currently working behind the scenes in many facets. Volunteer recruitment is our main goal and an ongoing process. We welcome you to learn more about us by joining the team today.

MAYFIELD VILLAGE, MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, GATES MILLS

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Under the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) Emergency Response Plan, the Communities of Mayfield Village, Mayfield Heights, Highland Heights and Gates Mills have been assigned the task of setting up a site (POD) to initiate a mass dispensing of medication or vaccinating the public in response to a public health emergency.

We need YOU to volunteer for our community POD
(AKA – MIPOD – MASS INOCULATION POINT OF DISPENSING)
The MIPOD is a drive-through site located on the Mayfield High School property.

In the event of a public health threat requiring mass distribution of medications and/or vaccinations to the general public, our MIPOD will be activated. The last activation occurred in December of 2009 in response to the H1N1 pandemic.

As we are now in a Pandemic situation for COVID19, the reality of a POD activation is possible. In order to prepare for this event, many people, like you, are needed to volunteer to run the POD. We don’t know when a vaccine or medication to treat COVID19 will be ready, but we must endeavor to prepare our MIPOD team for immediate deployment as soon as they become available. Volunteers are needed for the following positions:

  • Traffic Control
  • Parking lot attending
  • Record keeping and similar administrative tasks
  • Medical personnel
  • Other positions yet to be determined

Shifts and work hours are yet to be determined and will vary.

Volunteers will receive a MIPOD T-shirt, and will be given a rearview mirror hanging tag to allow access to the volunteer parking lot.

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED AND WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED BY SO MANY.

PLEASE VOLUNTEER.
To volunteer, please visit our registration page and fill out the form, or print off a PDF form and mail, fax or email as instructed on the form. Please also send this to family, friends and neighbors; the more it’s circulated, the greater the number of volunteers we’ll have available.