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L ~s~C~u~ L~~n~ RESOLUTION 2006-24 INTRODUCED BY: Mayor Bruce G. Rinker and Council as a Whole A RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO CHERYL GARINGER AND THE MASS INNOCULATION POINT OF DISPENSING ("MIPOD") WHEREAS, beginning in December 2005, Cheryl Garinger, Executive Assistant for the Mayfield Village Fire Department, spearheaded a program under the auspices of the County Board of Health to deal with residents and all people within several miles of our community in the event of a massive emergency. The requirements of this program include the need for each locale to have its own base and plan of operations; and WHEREAS, with the scheduling of the first meeting and continuing to the present, a course was charted and the momentum picked up. The primary purpose of the program is to respond in a highly organized, comprehensive fashion to a massive disaster, such as a terrorist attack or epidemic, where the need arises to dispense vaccines or other necessary medications to residents. From the time the program was in its infancy, Cheryl Garinger did an excellent job and worked tirelessly; and WHEREAS, few communities in and around Cuyahoga County have advanced as far with such a plan of action, which has now become a model in. the region. Originally named named Big Shots, the program was renamed MIPOD ("Mass Inoculation/Point of Dispensing"); and WHEREAS, Cheryl Garinger and her team drawn from area fire departments, residents, and healthcare professionals convened the first meeting for volunteers on March 1, 2006, initially drawing approximately 100 people. That auspicious beginning developed into afull-fledged operation, garnering tremendous input from approximately 250 area volunteers, half of whom are medical professionals; and WHEREAS, this year, working in conjunction with the Board of Health through the MIPOD, the annual flu shot program for the four Mayfield City School communities (Highland Heights, Mayfield Heights, Gates Mills and Mayfield Village) was utilized as a dry run. The exercise relied upon critical involvement of volunteers within and outside the community, including doctors, nurses, school employees, and residents from all walks of life. Those residents who had enrolled for their flu shots were this year required to travel to three staging areas, where the district's school bus drivers, all volunteers, efficiently shuttled them to and from the Mayfield High School, the central point of dispensing the flu shots. Ih this fashion, MIPOD proved to volunteers and community participants alike how such an emergency could be handled; and WHEREAS, the day-long disaster drill, run on Sunday, November 5th, was by all accounts an unqualified success. The buses were full and busy all day; 726 people were vaccinated; nearly 200 volunteers worked as one team to pull it off; and WHEREAS, the efforts of Cheryl Garinger and her organization of MIPOD should be applauded; and WHEREAS, our gratitude and thanks are expressed on behalf of Mayfield Village to all of the MIPOD volunteers who participated in the November 5th drill and the hundreds of flu shot recipients whose patience, fortitude .and spirit were a testimonial to the hard work of everyone involved in this challenging exercise.