The Medical Reserve Corps is a community-based, civilian volunteer program that helps build the public health infrastructure of communities nationwide. Each MRC unit is organized and trained to address a wide range of challenges from public health education to disaster response.
All deployment requests must be made through the Unit or County Coordinator using the W MA MRC Volunteer Request Form (link below).
The criteria to qualify for MRC assistance includes:
- The requesting agency provides a service that promotes public health or safety.
- The event for which assistance is being sought does not conflict with other planned MRC activities nor does it conflict with the mission of the Western MA Public Health Advisory Group (WAG) the Western MA MRC Advisory Group (MAG) or National MRC policy or procedures.
MRC Deployment Procedure
The Medical Reserve Corps is not a first responder organization and it is not within their capability to respond within minutes of an event.
Although there may be circumstances when a rapid response is needed – such as in an anthrax release or a natural disaster – in general, their goal is to initiate volunteer notification or deployment within hours of a specific event
Generally, the MRC is used to support response later in the situation, after the Incident Command has completed an initial assessment and identified the immediate services that are required. Incident commanders and authorized agencies are urged to contact the Unit Coordinator immediately after an event occurs, in case there might be a need for additional medical help. This allows the Unit Coordinator to make arrangements.
Rules for Deployment
- The MRC unit is deployed only through a request to the Unit Coordinator/Director using the volunteer request form.
- Volunteers should never self-deploy. Self-deployment is grounds for dismissal.
- No unauthorized person should ever deploy individual volunteers directly.
- Students may only be deployed under the supervision and guidance of appropriate advisors.
