Medical Reserve Corps

Objectives• Define community resilience and

describe significance

• Discuss tool benefits and target audience

• Describe implementation strategy• Demonstrate overview of training

CD tool

Community Resilience Defined

“Community resilience is the ability of a community to rebound from a disaster with a new focus on recovery and mitigation and a renewed sense of trust in government and other community leadership.”

Why We Need Community Resilience?

• Government cannot do all that’s needed alone

• Protect the vulnerable or at-risk population

• Need critical partners in the community

• Reduce damage, death

Steps to Building a Resilient Community

• 5 techniques for public involvement:– Mass marketing efforts– Education campaigns– Organize opportunities– Relationship building

– Organized forum

What is the Role of Medical Reserve Corps?

• Medical and non-medical volunteers• Provide personnel “surge” capacity• Trained to assist with disaster

response activities

• Volunteers protected from liability

MRC Tool Product Benefits• Addresses common needs for:

– More resources to fill void in disaster response

– Necessary training of volunteers – Assigning volunteers to fill specific

duties– Avoiding impractical one-on-one

training– Providing standardized training

Implementation Strategy

• Use for general training– Lets coordinators train volunteers in one setting– Lets volunteers work at their own pace and

setting• Use for certification

– Required exercises and required tests • Use for accreditation

– Persons interested in creating their own MRC unit – Used as guidance for developing curriculum

Who are the Target Candidates?

Support for multiple audiences:• Volunteers: medical and non-medical• MRC coordinators• Lay folk

Demonstration – CD Layout

Point of Dispensing (POD)

Disaster and Personal Preparedness

• Discusses various disasters: man-made and natural– types of disasters and prevention

• Personal Preparedness– Plan components and disaster supply kit

Incident Command System

• Course with test• Overview with ICS principles and

organizational structure

Psychological First Aid

• Reviews PFA basics and purpose of training

• Steps to take and areas of caution to deal with unstable employees

• Domino effect – one person starts stressing out, others will follow suit

Shelter in Place

• Steps to sheltering in place• Directions on how to seal windows,

vents, and under doors– Materials needed

Universal Precautions

• Types of potential infectious body fluids

• Transmission routes• Steps to limit exposure to pathogens• Safe work practices

– Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)

– Decontamination procedures

Conclusions• MRC tool kit can provide just in time

training for volunteers• Caveat: tool presented is not a ‘baked

cake’ – One size does NOT fit all– May require effort to customize– May not address all your needs

.

• Useful Websites and pages:– APC main page:

www.naccho.org/topics/emergency/APC/index.cfm– MRC: www.medicalreservecorps.gov/HomePage– Tarrant County:

www.tarrantcounty.com/eHealth/site/default.asp– Texas APC (NACCHO):

www.naccho.org/topics/demonstration/APC/TX.cfm– Texas APC*: www.texasapc.net

Helpful Resources

* Use the NACCHO link to request copies of Texas APC products. Use the contact us page at www.texasapc.net to reach session presenters, who

can also provide more complete product demos upon request.

Questions?For more information, visit: http://www.texasapc.net