Stanislaus County Medical Reserve Corps (SCMRC)
Who We Are?
SCMRC Unit # 1413 was officially recognized by the Office of the Surgeon General Medical Reserve Corps Program in February 2008. At that time, a comprehensive policy and procedure manual was drafted that included an overview of the SCMRC, unit administration, alert and notification procedures, deployment, and liability protection. With the completion of a comprehensive training plan, the SCMRC began enlisting volunteers to progress through the SCMRC Core Competencies and Missions trainings.
What We Do?
Engage healthcare professionals and others into volunteer service to enhance the effectiveness of local emergency response efforts. Provide reserve capacity at the community level to respond to local needs, both emergency and non-emergency. Create a framework to match medical and non-medical volunteers' skills with the community's needs.
What We Offer?
Our MRC is made up of both medical and non-medical community members who have a passion for community service. MRC Volunteers are asked to help during both emergency or non-emergency situations. As a volunteer, you can choose which events you want to help with based on your interests and your availability.
MRC Volunteers get involved and help out in a variety of ways such as:
- Helping with Clinics
- Taking part in emergency drills
- Helping with COVID, flu, or other vaccination clinics
- Helping with communicable disease case investigations and contact tracing
Mission
The mission of the Stanislaus County Medical Reserve Corps is to Enhance the established public health infrastructure with teams of trained and experienced medical, health, mental health, and other skilled volunteers to assist in responding to public health emergencies
Stanislaus County MRC Volunteers Requirements
Requirements:
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Pass a criminal background check
- Maintain updated contact information with the SCMRC
- Complete required trainings on basic emergency preparedness and response
- Register a profile on Disaster Health Volunteer
Activities
"Activities, Trainings & Exercises - MRC members are invited to participate in trainings, exercises and other activities to prepare and assist in responding to public health emergencies"
Training Topics
- Personal Preparedness and building a Ready-to-go-Pack
- Medical Skills Training
- Safety and Personal Protective Equipment
- Incident Command System (ICS) Training
- Point of Dispensing (POD) Training
Required Trainings
- IS 100C - Introduction to the Incident Command System
- IS 700 - Introduction to the National Incident Management System
Volunteer Opportunities
- Support communicable disease outbreak investigations and contact tracing
- Provide health education during Health Fairs
- Participate in vaccination administration
- Serve the emergency public health needs of your community
Resources
- It is a way to offer your particular skills and training as part of an organized response when the health of your own community is threatened.
- It is a way to make a significant contribution because, many times, the services you will be able to provide may not otherwise be available during a crisis
- It is a chance for you to belong to a group with a strong sense of mission and purpose - a chance to work together with others who care deeply about this community
- Medical professionals: Physicians, Nurses Practitioners, Infectious Disease Specialists, Emergency Medical Technicians, Mental Health Professionals, Dentists, Veterinarians, Pharmacists
- Support Staff: Interpreters/translators, Clerical/Computer Support, Administrative Support, Data Entry Support, Logistical Support
- The MRC Program has developed a Core Competencies guide for training MRC volunteers at the local level. Core Competencies represent the baseline level of knowledge and skills that all MRC volunteers should have, regardless of their roles within the MRC unit. They also provide a framework for units' training component and assist in describing what communities can expect of their MRCs. Because the core competencies establish only a minimum standard, units may choose to expand on the competencies in order to train volunteers at a more advanced level. Units may also choose to link the MRC core competencies to other existing sets of competencies for health professionals. For more information, please view the Core Competencies established at the national level.
- Emergency preparedness and response is a highly coordinated effort that allows communities to maximize their capabilities during times of extraordinary disorganization and stress. Volunteers may already know how to perform some of the necessary medical and health functions. In most cases, training as an MRC volunteer focuses primarily on learning local emergency and health procedures, and other methods to enhance volunteer effectiveness.
- We understand that many health professionals have strong relationships with the place or places that they work. Many times, this will mean that you have committed to a particular response that your facility is preparing. We fully understand that your first priority is to your own job and your own workplace. The purpose of this program is not to diminish the resources of any facility but rather to increase the resources available to all locations. That's why, if you're not already committed, we want you to be able to help our efforts to provide healthcare throughout the county. Also, you may not be able to get to your workplace (due to flood or quake damage); registering as a volunteer allows you to help at alternate sites. Additionally, some emergency responses will take place outside of healthcare facilities and will not impact those facilities. Contact us at 209-558-7035 for further information.
- No, you don't have to reside in Stanislaus County.
- There are no fees, dues or other mandated costs to be a MRC volunteer. You will be provided uniform and supplies.
- You must make necessary arrangements with your employer to take the time to volunteer. We recognize that your employer may have needs, including needs related to the specific disaster. The conditions under which an employee will be released to volunteer in an emergency remain between the employer and the employee.
- Yes. MRC volunteers strengthen the overall health of their community by participating in general public health initiatives such as vaccination clinics, fostering disaster preparedness, and providing various health education and free Blood Pressure checks at health fairs. Volunteers also participate in exercises, training and active recruitment.
