Background

Hands On Nashville (HON) and its volunteers play an important, unduplicated role in Nashville's emergency planning. As a longtime partner of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Hands On Nashville is undertaking its largest emergency recruitment drive ever, for more than 4,000 Points of Dispensing volunteers.

What are Points Of Dispensing?

Although PODs activation is highly unlikely, Points of Dispensing, or PODs, are clinics that would be set up across the city in the event of a public health emergency, such as an outbreak of pandemic flu, smallpox, or health issues caused by bioterrorism. PODs' purpose is to enable Metro Public Health Department officials to respond by quickly providing information and administering prophylactic medications to a large number of healthy citizens. While the Health Department is responsible for opening PODs, staffing these clinics would be a communitywide, volunteer-based effort.

POD volunteers

The one-time training for POD volunteers takes an hour to complete. Through this process, volunteers become familiar with the POD concept; learn the basic layout and flow of a POD; and understand some of the job functions they may be asked to undertake. Both on-site and online training sessions are offered. For groups of 10 or more, POD experts can provide on-site training at the requesting groups' office or meeting space, which makes this a time- and cost-effective volunteer recruitment and training initiative. Online sessions can be accessed at volunteers' convenience via this link.

Questions?

Contact Josh Corlew at josh@hon.org.

Cities of Nashville's size are required by the Office of Homeland Security to have an emergency plan in place. While we hope Nashville will never have to utilize this plan, we want to be the most prepared city in America in case such an emergency should ever arise. ~ Mayor Karl Dean

Be the Change. Become a POD volunteer.