The Medical Reserve Corps A Component of Citizen Corps

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Office of the Surgeon General Medical Reserve
CorpsSeptember 17, 2004
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September 11, 2001
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Anthrax October November, 2001
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MRC Concept Developed

• Create system to pre-identify medical and public
  health volunteers at the community level
• Prepare them in advance of an emergency
• Utilize them on an ongoing basis to strengthen
  the public health infrastructure

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State of the Union January 2002

• President Bush calls for all Americans to offer
  volunteer service in their communities
• Formation of USA Freedom Corps and Citizen Corps
  announced

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MRC Demonstration Project

• July 2002
• MRC officially launched
• HHS/Office of the US Surgeon General
• October 2002
• 42 grants awarded
• October 2003
• 42 year one grants continued
• 124 new grants awarded

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Mission

• To serve citizens and communities throughout the
  United States by establishing local teams of
  medical, public health and other volunteers to
  strengthen the public health infrastructure and
  improve emergency preparedness

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Status

• 218 MRC units in 46 states, the District of
  Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands
• Almost 30,000 volunteers
• 4210 Physicians
• 336 Physician Assistants
• 532 Nurse Practitioners
• 7536 Registered Nurses
• 554 Licensed Practical Nurses
• 1986 Pharmacists
• 1669 Mental Health Professionals
• 736 EMTs/Paramedics
• 2163 Other - Medical
• 581 Other - Public Health
• 7220 Other - Non-medical/public health

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MRC Volunteers

• Local decision (based on needs)
• May include those in training, in active
  practice, or retired
• Medical and public health professionals
• Persons with no health experience who can help
  with communications, administration, logistics,
  and other essential functions

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Housing Organizations

• Departments of Public Health
• Boards of Health
• Medical Centers/Hospitals
• Medical Societies
• Emergency Management Offices
• Citizen Corps Councils
• Municipal Governments

• Police Departments
• Volunteer Centers
• Faith Based Organizations
• American Red Cross
• Regional Planning Groups
• Medical Societies
• Non-Profit Community Organizations

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Partner Organizations

• Health Care Systems, Hospitals and Clinics
• Departments of Public Health
• Centers for Disease Control
• Medical Retirement Groups
• Medical Examiners Offices
• Local and State Emergency Management Agencies
• Emergency Planning Committees
• Police and Fire Departments
• Community-Based Disaster Groups
• Healthcare Outreach Coalitions

• Retired and Senior Volunteer Programs
• Nursing and Medical Schools
• Metropolitan Medical Response Systems
• Emergency Medical Services
• Military Organizations National Guard
• Public Schools
• Neighborhood Associations
• Regional Commissions
• City Attorneys Offices
• Corporations

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Surgeon General Priorities

• Prevention
• Public Health Preparedness
• Health Disparities
• Health Literacy

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Types of Activities

• Laying the Foundation of the MRC
• Partnership Building
• Volunteer Recruitment/Retention
• Credentialing
• Training
• Public Health Initiatives
• Emergency Preparedness

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Hurricanes!
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Reagan State Funeral
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MRC Program Office Role

• Facilitate the formation, implementation, and
  sustainability of MRC teams in communities
  throughout the U.S. by coordinating mechanisms
  for information sharing and providing forums for
  discussions of promising practices and lessons
  learned

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MRC Program Office

• Program management
• Technical assistance
• Outreach/awareness
• Coordination

www.medicalreservecorps.gov MRCcontact_at_osophs.dhhs
.gov [phone]
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Issues/Challenges

• Legal Protections
• Training
• Credentialing
• Sustainability
• National Mass Catastrophic Event

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Future Directions

• Growth
• Increase focus on the SGs priorities
• Increase outreach and awareness
• Increase and improve coordination
• Involvement of PHS Officers Active Duty,
  Inactive Reserve, Retired, Alumni

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The SGs Call

• the MRC offers PHS Commissioned Corps officers
  with an opportunity to help in their own local
  communities I would encourage all PHS officers
  to lead by example in their local
• communities by volunteering.
• VADM Richard H. Carmona
• Surgeon General
• Commissioned Corps Bulletin Vol. XVI, No. 12
• December 2002

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How to Get Involved

• Call your local MRC coordinator
• What are their needs?
• Mentor/train MRC members
• If there is no MRC unit in your area encourage
  local leaders to establish one. Provide
  leadership and advice as it is developed

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Unique Challenges for PHS Officers

• MRC activities strictly as a private citizen
• Adherence to PHS standards and conduct
• Volunteer activities may not interfere with
  official PHS duties or deployment

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• Contact Information
• Robert J. Tosatto, RPh, MPH, MBA Commander, US
  Public Health ServiceDirector, Medical Reserve
  Corps Program Office of the Surgeon General
• Room 18C-14, Parklawn Building 5600 Fishers Lane
  Rockville, MD  20857
• Tel. [phone] Fax [phone]
• rtosatto_at_osophs.dhhs.gov
• www.medicalreservecorps.gov