Medical Reserve Corps
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), with funding and support from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Program, announces a new funding opportunity for MRC units - the 2021 Operational Readiness Awards (ORA). This funding opportunity is intended to build the operational readiness capabilities of MRC units to meet the emergency preparedness and response needs of their local, regional, or statewide stakeholders. NACCHO will award up to $1.6 million through awards at the $5,000 and $10,000 level through a competitive selection process for eligible MRC units.
Additional information about the 2021 ORA is available in the Request for Applications (RFA). The Application Questions can also be downloaded as a pdf or word document.
NACCHO is also conducting a webinar to provide an RFA overview and answer any applicant questions. Register in advance for this webinar here.
Webinar Slides: 2021 MRC ORA RFA Overview and Application Process. These webinar slides provides an overview of the MRC ORA RFA and NACCHO's Awards website along with links to important application documents.
2021 ORA Applications are due by Monday, December 7, 2020 at 8:00pm ET. Questions about the RFA and application process can be directed to NACCHO’s MRC Team at mrc@naccho.org.
More information about NACCHO Awards can be found on NACCHO's MRC Funding Opportunities Webpage.
The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a national network of local volunteer units that engage their local communities to strengthen public health, reduce vulnerability, build resilience, and improve preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities.
NACCHO works in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Medical Reserve Corps Program Office to:
- Build the capabilities of MRC units to meet needs during emergencies and disasters;
- Identify and address barriers to the use of MRC units and volunteers during emergencies and disasters;
- Support the sustainability of MRC units to maintain and develop response capabilities.
For more information, visit the ASPR MRC Program Office Webpage.
NACCHO's MRC Team has developed the following to support MRC units across the country including deployment readiness resources, funding opportunities, and information on the most recent Network Profile Study.
Fact Sheets
NACCHO has developed the following Fact Sheets to highlight MRC units across the national network and encourage peer sharing:
- Medical Reserve Corps: Community Resilience
- Medical Reserve Corps: Response to the Opioid Epidemic
- Medical Reserve Corps: Shelter Operations Support
E-Learning
MRC Train is a free, online e-learning platform with training modules for MRC unit leaders and volunteers. MRC units can also upload their own individualized training content to the TRAIN platform.
NACCHO University is another eLearning platform with self-paced learning modules created for MRC units including Deployment Readiness, Factors for Success, and MRC Core Competencies.
Communications
NACCHO has developed resources to assist MRC Unit Leaders and Stakeholders with their communication and messaging strategies. The NACCHO MRC Strategic Messaging Guide provides a roadmap for MRC units as they conduct community outreach and media interviews. It touches on the history of the MRC and shares some of the facts and figures behind this extraordinary organization.
NACCHO has also developed a Social Media Toolkit: A Primer for Local Health Department PIOs and Communications Professionals. The toolkit helps local health departments get started and grow their social media programs, one tweet at a time. For beginners as well as experienced practitioners, this toolkit features a description of platforms; how to develop a social media policy; how to integrate social media with your emergency communications plans; social media strategy; and emerging trends.
Advocacy
Advocacy can build relationships with and educate policymakers; influence new and existing policies, laws, and budgets; and, encourage the creation of new programs. Learn how you can better collaborate and communicate with your local elected officials using NACCHO's Advocacy Toolkit.
From August 24 – 27, 2020, NACCHO hosted the 2020 Virtual MRC Leadership Summit at the Preparedness Summit. This was an opportunity for MRC unit leaders, state coordinators, regional liaisons, and program office staff to convene for a series of peer-to-peer learning, facilitated discussions, and networking sessions.
The following includes links to the recordings and presentation slides for each of the 2020 MRC Leadership Summit sessions. Please note, the recording links below include the audio to accompany the slides, as well as an option to view the chat box or audio transcript. You can toggle between the chat and audio transcript.
Feel free to share this with other unit leaders, your volunteers, and partner organizations. If you have any questions or have issues accessing the links, please reach out to us at mrc@naccho.org.
August 24, 2020 - Main Session
- Main Session Meeting Recording
- Main Session Slides
August 25, 2020 - Special Topic Session: Funding Strategies
- Funding Strategies Webinar Recording
- Funding Strategies Slides
August 26, 2020 - Special Topic Session: Building Community Partners
- Building Community Partners Webinar Recording
- Building Community Partnerships Slides
August 26, 2020 - Special Topic Session: Branding & Communications Strategies
- Branding & Communications Strategies Webinar Recording
- Branding & Communications Strategies Slides
August 27, 2020 - MRC Unit Leader Wellness
- Unit Leader Wellness Webinar Recording
- Unit Leader Wellness Slides
August 27, 2020 - MRC Closing Session
- Closing Session Webinar Recording
- No meeting slides.
MRC units work on a broad range of emergency preparedness and public health projects. We have highlighted select projects to celebrate the variety and creativity of our MRC units across the country.
- South Hadley/Granby/Northampton MRC, Sheltering Residents with Substance Dependency
- Richmond City MRC, Preventing and Treating Chronic Disease
- Bureau Putnam MRC, Addressing the Opioid Epidemic
- Siouxland District Health Department, Iowa MRC, Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program
- Greater Monadnock, New Hampshire MRC, Prescribe for Health
- LeFlore County, Oklahoma MRC, Mass Fatality Training
- King County MRC, Enhancing Community Collaboration & Coalition
NACCHO also features a number of emergency preparedness blog articles through the Preparedness Brief. Some posts including MRC unit highlights, press releases, and general topics include:
MRC Photo Gallery
California Exercise
MRC volunteers in California participate in an emergency preparedness exercise.
Manasota MRC, Florida
Manasota MRC support response to a fire at Port of Manatee in Palmetto, Florida by setting up a firefighter rehabilitation station in their Medical Aid Station Trailer (MAST).
Slack Water Training
South Carolina Veterinary Reserve Corps volunteers participate in a slack water training.
Public Health Preparedness Program
Katherine Deffer
Senior Program Analyst
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Public Health Preparedness Program
Kamya Raja
Program Analyst, MRC
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Public Health Preparedness Program
Crystal Young
Senior Program Assistant
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