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Medical Reserve Corps: A Guide for Local Leaders

NCJ Number
202853
Date Published
2003
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This booklet provides instructions on how to create and manage a local Medical Reserve Corps, which is composed of local health volunteers who can assist their communities in cases of large-scale medical emergencies and also engage in activities designed to improve a community's health through prevention education.
Abstract
The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is the component of the Citizen Corps that brings together local health professionals and others with relevant health-related skills to volunteer their time, knowledge, and skills in community emergency medical response systems and in meeting pressing public health needs of all types. The role of the Federal Government through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is to help empower local communities to plan, establish, and effectively use a local MRC unit. The planning and establishment of a MRC unit requires that a local organization take the initiative, in cooperation with other key local leaders. The initiation of the formal process to establish a local MRC unit generally begins with the convening of a meeting that will be attended by multiple local stakeholders. How a local MRC unit is used will be decided locally. The MRC unit will decide, preferably in cooperation with appropriate local officials, if and when to activate its members to work to improve public health in the community. The anticipated scope of operations of an MRC unit should be addressed in writing in its planning documents. The purposes of the MRC unit are to draw health professionals into volunteer services; create a framework to match volunteers' skills with community needs; train health professionals to respond better to the needs of the community, thereby enhancing local emergency response efforts; and providing reserve capacity to respond to local health needs and priorities. After describing how a MRC unit is created, this booklet provides instruction in volunteer standards, the management of a local MRC, legal considerations, education and training, and opportunities for program linkages. Appended supplementary information and listings of resources