The first response to any disaster is a local response. This has never been truer than at this moment in our nation's history.
The events of September 11, 2001 changed our nation forever, but the thousands of volunteers who so selflessly helped others during this national tragedy inspired others to do the same.
In the days following 9/11, President Bush created the USA Freedom Corps to foster a culture of service, citizenship and responsibility. Our President has asked Americans to make a commitment to serve their neighbors and their nation.
The Medical Reserve Corps is one way in which health professionals can volunteer to strengthen our communities and our nation.- What is the Medical Reserve Corps?
- Why is it needed?
- The purpose of the MRC
- How did we get here?
- St. Lucie County Medical Reserve Corps
What is the Medical Reserve Corps?
President Bush tasked the Department of Health and Human Services, with developing and implementing the MRC. The Medical Reserve Corps is one of several components of Citizen Corps, USA Freedom Corps. It is a community-based volunteer unit comprised of local health care professionals. Medical Reserve Corps units provide health professionals an organized mechanism through which they can volunteer their time and skills to strengthen their communities by preparing for and responding to large scale emergencies. In March 2002, the Office of the Surgeon General undertook the responsibility of develping the MRC program.Why is it needed?
After September 11, thousands of Americans responded by volunteering to help in any way they could. In order to be most effective during times of emergency, volunteers must be organized and trained to work in emergency situations. The Medical Reserve Corps is designed to provide that organizational structure and promote appropriate training of volunteers for communities.The Purpose of the MRC
By design, all Medical Reserve Corps units are local. The MRC initiative is built on the concept that communities can help themselves by organizing volunteer resources from within. The purpose of the St. Lucie County Medical Reserve Corps is to:- Recruit and credential medical volunteers before the time of crisis
- Create a framework to match volunteers' skills with their community's needs
- Train health professionals to respond better to the needs of the individual communities, thereby enhancing local emergency response efforts
- Provide reserve capacity at the community level to respond to local health needs and priorities
- Enhance the existing health care system in a disaster involving a large number of casualties
How Did We Get Here?
In 2004, Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne devastated areas in St. Lucie County. Hospitals were severely challenged to accomodate the community.Today St. Lucie County not only faces potential destruction from weather related disasters such as hurricanes, but is vulnerable to other medical emergencies that may create a mass casualty incident such as a biological or chemical event, whether it be intentional (weapons of mass destruction) or an accidental occurrence.
Recruitment, verifying medical credentials and training of volunteer medical personnel must be done while we are not in a crisis mode to prevent delays. The deployment of medical personnel will be in an organized fashion to assist in the response, deliver the needed service and ultimately elimimate chaos.
St. Lucie County Medical Reserve Corps
St. Lucie County Health Department is one of the recipients of the MRC grant in 2007. The creation of the St. Lucie Medical Reserve Corps is the result of a joint effort of the St. Lucie County Health Department and the St. Lucie County Emergency Management Agency.An MRC management committee has been established with members from the St. Lucie County Health Department. Planning is dynamic and ongoing, as we move forward in reaching our goals for the St. Lucie County Medical Reserve Corps (SLCMRC). The SLCMRC is designed to draw from a pool of health care professionals as needed during an emergency. Volunteers will work locally within St. Lucie County. The time commitment for volunteers is variable, and organized to work around your schedule. You can volunteer for as little as several hours, or as much as several days.