Gov. Beshear announces more than $2 million to support emergency preparedness
(WYMT) - On Wednesday, Governor Andy Beshear announced $2.25 million dollars will be given to the Kentucky Medical Reserve Corps to strengthen emergency response in all 120 Kentucky counties.
In a statement, Gov. Beshear said:
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander said the money will enhance the MRC, that is starting back up.
“It is really an expansion of something we already have, we basically are collapsing what our smaller regions into eight large regions and they fall under the department for public health and we help coordinate that,” he said.
He added that this is related to the emergency response system.
”The folks locally that handle that will know how to access these services. At the state level, it is the department for public health, it also their emergency response piece that brings these people forward and distributes them as needed and that is how this functions,” he explained.
Friedlander said it has helped in various emergency situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the July 2022 flood.
“It can be support for emergency shelter operations so, like following storms and somebody sets up an emergency shelter or if it gets too hot and we set up cooling stations or warming stations if it is too cold. These are the folks that will help staff that and support the folks that are there,” he said.
He said by them helping coordinate MRC it will add more volunteers.
“So, this funding will help support them, it will help support bringing more people in, it will help coordinating that in a better fashion in Kentucky,” he explained.
He added that this will help in future situations.
“As we respond to some of the things that we have seen like flooding, like tornados, like pandemics, like ice storms... As we respond to things like that, this group will be able to come in more quickly and will be able to bring more of them to help communities to respond,” he explained.
Friedlander said this is under development, but will be working close with health departments to help whenever needed.
Copyright 2023 WYMT. All rights reserved.
