In the event of a large scale public health disaster, the McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) may need to dispense preventive medications to a large segment of the population at one time. In order to prepare for such an emergency, MCDH conducts annual exercises to practice the rapid and accurate dispensing of medications to the public. To fully train our staff, we need a large number of volunteers at each exercise to walk through the site as “victims” and pick up simulated medications. In order to stress our dispensing plans, we need as many people as possible to play the role of a victim. Acting as a victim for the exercise is simple: register, show up, and walk-through the dispensing site. We want people to go through as many times as they are willing. This hands-on practice is the best way to test what parts of our plan work and what can be improved upon. On Thursday, June 16th from 9:30-11:30am the Health Department is participating in a statewide full-scale exercise by activating a public dispensing site at Woodstock North High School. This is where we need your help! We are looking for volunteers for this exercise. This may be appropriate for individuals, senior groups, or youth groups needing service hours. Youth groups can attend with a signed parental waiver and if accompanied by a responsible adult (when kids are under 16). Click here for more information Advance registration for the exercise is strongly recommended. Anyone who is able to attend may register online at www.mcdhprepare.info. McHenry County response partners participating in this exercise include District 200, Woodstock Police, Woodstock Fire, McHenry County Emergency Management Agency, McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and the Division of Transportation, Health Department staff and Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers. For more information, contact MCDH’s Emergency Response program at 815-334-4510.