Medical Reserve Corps
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, Administration for Strategic 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.
Please visit this link for MRC related sessions at the 2023 Preparedness Summit: here
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.
MRC Regional Workshops
MRC regional workshops are intended for MRC unit leaders and MRC state coordinators to foster collaboration between MRC units, stakeholders, and to facilitate integration of the MRC in local, statewide, or interstate deployments. In addition, this workshop will allow unit leaders and MRC state coordinators to connect with colleagues, share peer to peer best practices from deployments, and share about resources to that enhance unit capabilities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and emergencies.
The following links contain PDFs of all slides used at the 2023 MRC Regional Workshops. Thank you so much to all of the presenters and attendees!
1.MRC Regional Workshop 1 :March 14-15, 2023- Richmond, VA (Region 1, 2, and 3)
Exercise Documents:
Presentation Slides:
- Implementing Successful MRC Communications & Advocacy Strategies
- Strategies for Developing Working Partnerships
- Volunteer Management- Recruitment, Retention, and Deployment Strategies
- Developing a Strategic Plan/ Roadmap for Your MRC Unit
- Developing Unit Training Plans
- Risk Management and Emergency Law and Legal Protection pertaining to MRC Volunteers
2. MRC Regional Workshop 2: May 16-17, 2023- Memphis, TN (Region 4 and 6).
E-Learning Opportunities
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. For more information on MRC-TRAIN, check out "A Tour of MRC-TRAIN as a Unit Leader" or click here. Additionally, NACCHO recently published a series of six courses on MRC-TRAIN that were designed to provide resources and recommendations to MRC unit leaders on various foundational topics. To learn more, click here.
NACCHO University is another e-learning platform with self-paced learning modules created for MRC units including Deployment Readiness, MRC Unit Factors for Success, and MRC Core Competencies.
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
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.
NEW: NACCHO has recently updated the 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.
The MRC InTouch e-Digest is a monthly e-newsletter. Each edition features unit activities, resources, announcements, and a calendar of events. All volunteers are eligible to sign up to receive the monthly e-newsletter via the MRC one-way and two-way ListServs.
View back issues of MRC InTouch (2013-present) below.
