u.s. department of health and human services office of the surgeon general medical reserve corps
TRANSCRIPT
U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesOffice of the Surgeon General
Medical Reserve Corps
MRC Concept• Nationwide network of community-based groups of
volunteers who are interested in strengthening public health
• Organize the volunteers in support of existing programs and resources to improve the health and safety of communities (and the nation)
• Identify, credential, train and prepare volunteers (mostly medical and public health professionals) at the community level and in advance of an emergency
• Strengthening the “everyday” public health infrastructure will improve preparedness/response
MRC Status
• 408 MRC units in 49 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam
• Over 74,000 volunteers
Physicians Physician Assistants Nurse Practitioners Registered Nurses Dentists Veterinarians
Pharmacists Mental Health Professionals EMTs and Paramedics Epidemiologists Health Educators Others…
MRC Volunteers
9455
8531458
19156
21993027
4468
2880
908421
1361
6055
2003
20139
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
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Ambassadors of the Surgeon General
• Support Surgeon General’s Priorities for Public Health
• Support Existing Community Resources– Public Health Initiatives– Emergency Preparedness and Response
Support Existing Public Health Resources
Upper Merrimack Valley (MA) MRC
Flu Vaccination
Sedgwick County (KS) MRC Diabetes Detection Initiative
Support Existing Emergency Resources
Southwest Florida MRC Hurricane Response
Clark County (NV) MRC First Aid at American Heart Walk
Roles
• MRC members can have a profound impact on the health and safety of their community
• Examples: Serve as MRC leaders Provide medical care Administer vaccines and dispense medications Provide health education as part of a local public health
initiative Provide counseling for victims, families and responders Promote preparedness Provide administrative, logistical and communications
support
2005 Hurricane Response and Recovery Efforts
• Establishing medical needs shelters • Providing medical support in evacuee shelters and
clinics• Filling in locally for others who were deployed to
the disaster-affected regions • Immunizing responders prior to their deployment
to the disaster affected regions • Staffing response hotlines• Teaching emergency preparedness to community
members
An Evolution of the MRC Concept
• Identifying mechanisms to allow involvement outside of local jurisdictions
• Various mechanisms– state-to-state mutual aid agreements and the
Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC)
– American Red Cross– HHS “Federalization” process…serving as an
auxiliary of the Public Health Service
National Efforts
MRC Support for American Red Cross Disaster OperationsHealth services, mental health and shelter operations roles> 700 applications received> 400 MRC members received assignments or are approved for travel
MRC Support for HHS Recovery Efforts Provide supplemental staffing for special needs shelters, clinics, strike teams and other assignments> 800 MRC members volunteered to support this mission~ 200 MRC members activated
White House Recommendation
• HHS should organize, train, equip, and roster medical and public health professionals in preconfigured and deployable teams
• Include the PHS Commissioned Corps, the DoD, the VA, the NDMS, and members of the MRC
A work in progress…
• Volunteer Management
• Credentialing– Connection with ESAR-VHP
• Training – Connection with NACCHO– Connection with PHF
• Legal Protections
• Activation
How to find your local MRC
www.medicalreservecorps.gov
Contact Information
Robert J. Tosatto, RPh, MPH, MBA
CDR, USPHS
Director, Medical Reserve Corps ProgramOffice of the Surgeon General
Room 18C-14, Parklawn Building
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
Tel. (301) 443-2528 Fax (301) 443-1163
www.medicalreservecorps.gov