What is the Medical Reserve Corps?
The mission of the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is to allow local volunteers–medical and health professionals as well as others–to contribute their skills and expertise throughout the year as well as during times of community need. The Eastern Idaho MRC unit is made of volunteers who can assist our community during emergencies, such as an earthquake or influenza epidemic.
Benefits to the Community
Major local emergencies can overwhelm the capability of first responders, especially during the first 12-72 hours. Having citizens who are prepared to take care of themselves, their families, and others during times of crisis will allow first-responders to focus their efforts on the most critical, life threatening situations.
An organized, well trained MRC unit means that volunteers can effectively respond to an emergency, are familiar with their community’s response plan, know what materials are available for their use, know who their partners in the response are, and know where their skills can be utilized to their best advantage and in a coordinated manner.
MRC units have recently responded to several national disasters, including the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic. They have been successful in saving lives, and providing aid to disaster victims. A trained and functioning Medical Reserve Corps is an important asset to the Eastern Idaho Public Health region, and working with other community partners will strengthen our ability to respond to an emergency. MRC volunteers supplement existing local emergency and public health resources.
Click here to learn more about the national Medical Reserve Corps program.
Who Can Be a MRC Volunteer?
MRC volunteers can include medical and public health professionals such as physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, veterinarians, and epidemiologists. Other community members, such as interpreters, chaplains, office workers, and legal advisors, can fill other vital support positions.
What Can Medical Reserve Corps Volunteers Do?
- Support local public health initiatives and the goals of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2010, while advancing the priorities of the Surgeon General:
- Promoting disease prevention
- Improving health literacy
- Eliminating health disparities
- Enhancing public health preparedness
- Assist local hospitals and health departments with surge personnel needs.
- Participate in mass prophylaxis and vaccination exercises and community disaster drills.
- Train with local emergency response partners.
- Respond as needed to local, state, or national disasters.
It is important to remember, you need not have a medical background to volunteer and function in many support roles.
Register to Become a MRC Volunteer
It it easy to register to become a MRC volunteer. In order to register, you must do so through the Volunteer Idaho system. This system will enable us to verify the professional credentials of our volunteers by comparing them to Federal and State licensing board data prior to calling them for duty. It will also help individual volunteers by notifying them, by e-mail, when their license is about to expire. If you do not have a professional license you are still very important to us and the system will help us keep your information and deployment status readily available.
To sign up for MRC or for more information please email: mrc@eiph.id.gov
Click here for step by step instructions on How to Register to Become a MRC Volunteer.
For More Information
For more information about the Eastern Idaho Medical Reserve Corps or to register as a MRC volunteer, please contact:
Mike Taylor
MRC Coordinator
Eastern Idaho Public Health
1250 Hollipark Drive
Idaho Falls, ID 83401
208-533-3142
E-mail: mtaylor@eiph.idaho.gov