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Public Health Department recommending the Board: 1) receive presentation on the benefits and importance of the Medical Reserve Corps; 2) approve, in concept, the formation of a volunteer Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) as part of the County's emergency planning and response system; 3) authorize the Director of Public Health and the Public Health Officer to utilize the MRC to supplement existing local emergency medical preparedness and public health resources; 4) authorize the Director of Public Health to ensure that volunteers are highly trained and organized through education, drills, and deployment in the event of a large scale health-related emergency.
FUNDING: HRSA and Bioterrorism Grants, Sheriff's Department, Sacramento Regional MRC
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Background: The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a federal, community-based program that was established after President Bush's 2002 State of the Union Address, in which he asked all Americans to volunteer in support of their country. It is a specialized component of Citizen Corps, a national network of volunteers dedicated to ensuring hometown security.
The El Dorado County MRC will be a collaborative effort within the Sacramento Regional Medical Reserve Corps, which brings together volunteers from Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer and Yolo counties. The purpose of the MRC program is to strengthen communities by setting up a system for medical and public health volunteers to offer their expertise during times of community need and throughout the year. Volunteers are often required to coordinate their efforts with those of complex medical emergency and public health response systems. To protect the safety of everyone involved in a response effort, preparation and training are vital.
Reason for Recommendation: Benefits of the MRC to our community will include augmenting existing emergency medical services in the event of a large scale health-related emergency with a highly trained group of medical and non-medical...
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