Stanislaus County Medical Reserve Corps (SCMRC)
Description - Overview
SCMRC volunteers support existing local emergency medical health response systems by providing trained, pre-certified and readily available volunteers to help emergency responders manage a health emergency or other natural disaster. SCMRC volunteers may also augment, as individuals or in teams, medical and support staff shortages at local hospitals, medical or emergency facilities (i.e. Alternate Care Sites (ACS), Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) sites, Points of Dispensing (POD's), etc.). The SCMRC is intended to supplement existing personnel resources, as well as contribute to meeting the public health needs of the community. As SCMRC members and Disaster Service Workers the State of California provides worker's compensation benefits and liability protection for volunteers.
Mission
The mission of the Stanislaus County Medical Reserve Corps is to enhance the infrastructure of Stanislaus County's emergency medical response.
Vision
The vision of the Stanislaus County Medical Reserve Corps is to have an established team of trained, organized, and dedicated medical professional volunteers; a resource to augment those services already in place that protect the health and welfare of our community.
 |
 |
| Modesto 1997 Flood | Alternate Care Site |
Goals
- To engage volunteer healthcare professionals to enhance the effectiveness of local emergency response efforts.
- To provide reserve capacity at the community level to respond to local needs.
- To create a framework to match medical volunteers' skills with the community's needs.
Commitment and Expectations of Volunteers
The SCMRC is flexibly constructed to allow volunteers to serve and commit to suit the member's schedule and routine. The amount of time a volunteer contributes depends upon the membership level achieved. Each level (see Membership Levels) contains training requirements that must be fulfilled to advance to the next level. The professional training track chosen dictates what training is required. Some tracks require more hours of training due to the profession and the delivery of services during a disaster response. A member is considered "fully" deployable when Levels 2-3 are achieved. For example, upon completion of level 2 or 3, a member is considered trained to respond during an emergency or disaster, 
and can be integrated into the local response system. With the completion of level 1, a member may be called upon to support SCMRC activities. The SCMRC member is expected to maintain and update their Disaster Healthcare Volunteer (DHV) profile, complete level 1 requirements within 60 days, and when the volunteer has completed their chosen level of participation, they need to attend one activity (training, exercise, meeting) a year.
Membership Levels
Membership in the SCMRC is open to anyone with a desire to serve their community. Although the focus of the SCMRC is on emergency medical operations and public health activities, healthcare experience is not an absolute prerequisite for service with the SCMRC. Volunteers with no healthcare there are four levels of membership within the SCMRC. Each level represents the training received by our volunteers. To streamline training, five tracks were developed for specific professional areas to maximize volunteer proficiency while reducing the amount of training time. These levels are:
Level 0 - Attend an orientation and submit an application.
Level 1 - Meet level 0 requirements, pass a background check at no cost, and affirm as a Disaster Service Worker
Level 2 - Meet level 1 requirement and completed all training requirements within a professional track.
Level 3 - Meet level 2 requirements, complete two or more training tracks and complete ICS 200, 300 and 400.
Training
To insure the competency and safety of our members, the SCMRC has 
built a training plan that includes professional training tracks. These tracks provide a broad emergency response overview and enrich our members' ability to react safely, effectively, and efficiently during times of crisis. This plan was developed with the input of local specialists, allied agencies, and experts within their respective fields and focuses to provide relevant training to save time. Training is specific to roles and functions and allows volunteers the flexibility to engage at a level of their choice. Professional training tracks are specific to the following areas:
- Behavioral Health
- Emergency Medical Services
- Clinical
(medical background) - Supportive
(non-medical background) - Management
Call 209-558-8332 or email gro.ashcs@crmcs for more information or to sign up for an orientation.
Disaster Healthcare Volunteers website
The Disaster Healthcare Volunteers (DHV) alert & notification system is a member's connection to the local volunteer emergency response. The DHV is a highly secured, online website used to maintain an accurate inventory of a volunteer's skills, training and emergency contact information. In addition to maintaining profile information, the DHV verifies professional license credentials twice a day to ensure the most up to date information on our volunteers. If an official request is received to activate the SCMRC, the DHV website is our primary means of alerting and communicating with volunteers.
Advisory Board
Advisory Board members of the SCMRC establish policies and procedures that determine the functions and objectives of the SCMRC. The Board consists of experts within their respective fields from various disciplines.
