FAQ – Tristate Medical Reserve Corps

WHO CAN VOLUNTEER?

TMRC seek medical and non-medical volunteers to assist with emergency preparedness and response efforts. Community members without medical training can assist with administrative and other essential support functions. Volunteers in the MRC program include:

Licensed/Certified Medical Professionals

Physicians
Nurses
Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs)
Pharmacists
Paramedics
Physician Assistants
Allied Health Professionals
Veterinarians
Public Health Professionals
Dentists
Epidemiologists
Mental Health Professionals/Social Workers

Non-Medical Support Personnel/Community Members

Interpreters
Chaplain
Clerical Support
Health Educators
Logistics
Communications
Information Technology
Administrative Personnel
Animal Care Technicians
Personal Care Assistants (DCP, PCA, CNA, STNA)

WHY BECOME A MRC VOLUNTEER?

Volunteers are at the heart of the MRC. The existence of the nationwide, community-based movement is due to the willingness pf volunteers to serve their communities in times of need. Without this generous offer of service, there would be no MRC. Becoming an MRC volunteer provides the opportunity to belong to a group with a strong sense of mission and purpose.

MRC benefits you and your community by:

Reinforcing public health and emergency response infrastructures by providing supplemental personnel
Enabling communities to meet specific needs
Affording the local community more autonomy by reducing the dependence on state and national resources
Giving community members the opportunity to participate in developing strategies to make their communities healthier and safer
Providing a collaborative atmosphere for information sharing and coordination among partner organizations
Enabling dialogue between emergency management and public health agencies
Supporting national recognition of local public health and emergency response efforts

WHAT WOULD I DO AS A VOLUNTEER?

MRC Volunteer roles will vary, depending on the emergency or disaster, and what staffing needs exist. Volunteers may also be assigned duties that are different from traditional every day work duties. For example, a physician may assist with checking blood glucose at a community fair, giving injections at a vaccination clinic, or providing patient education on carbon monoxide poisoning. Support volunteers may be asked to enter patient data, or serve as a patient greeter. CHCMRC volunteers will not be assigned to roles that they do not feel comfortable with or that jeopardize their health and safety.

MRC volunteers train, both online and in classroom settings, in order to improve their skills, knowledge, and abilities. MRC Volunteers may also participate in area drills and exercises with community partners to help better prepare for a real event.

In an emergency, local resources get called upon first, sometimes with little to no warning. As a member of your MRC unit, you can be a part of an organized and trained team. You will be ready and able to bolster local emergency planning and response capabilities.

Major emergencies can overwhelm the capabilities of responders, particularly during the first 12-72 hours. Medical and other health volunteers can provide an important ‘surge’ capacity during this critical period. Communities often need medically trained individuals to fill gaps in their emergency response plans.

MRC medical volunteers may find themselves working alongside Red Cross volunteers in a shelter setting supplementing the provision of health services, providing care in an alternate care setting, or staffing a point-of-dispensing (POD) site providing medical countermeasures to the population.

Individuals with a non-medical background typically serve their community by assisting with administrative and other essential support functions. This might include working in the following areas: administrations, transportation, training, supply/logistics, chaplaincy/spiritual care, volunteer management, or communications.

You may also work closely with staff members from the local health department, emergency management agency, hospital, or other organizations, such as the American Red Cross, that partner with the MRC. In fact, services you provide may help these other organizations meet their mission.

Every attempt will be made to match the skills and license or registration level of the volunteer with the assignment during an emergency response.

Volunteer Opportunities:

They frequently contribute to community health activities that promote healthy habits. Examples of volunteer opportunities that CHCMRC volunteers may participate in and support include:

Emergency Preparedness and Response Trainings
Health Screenings
Emergency Sheltering
Obesity Reduction
Responder Rehab
Vaccination Clinics
Disaster Medical Support
Outreach to Underserved Community Members
Disaster Risk Reduction
Heart Health
Medical Facility Surge Capacity
Tobacco Cessation
First Aid during Public Gatherings
Community Event Support
Planning, Logistical, & Administrative Support
Healthy Living
Veterinary Support and Pet Preparedness
Health Education and Promotion
Engaging Youth in Public Health Activities

Example Volunteer Roles:

Dispensing antibiotics
Injecting vaccines*
Reviewing health histories
Conducting medical screening*
Performing patient exams*
Patient care*
Triage
Outreach and education
Interpretation
Transporting patients
Staffing a call center to provide information about a disease
Setting up hospital equipment
Greeting and directing people through a POD
Managing the flow of people through a POD
Volunteer recruitment
HAM radio operation

*These roles must be fulfilled by a medical volunteer

WHAT IS THE STATE OF OHIO LIMITED LIABILITY VOLUNTEER PROTECTION POLICY?

Ohio Law provides liability protections to registered and trained Ohio Medical Reserve Corps volunteers during local, state, or federally declared emergencies, disasters, drill/exercises, and trainings. The Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Emergency Management Association jointly share the responsibilities of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) applicable to liability protection for MRC volunteers. the statute also protects a registered volunteer’s personal information on the Ohio Responds Database from public disclosure. Review the Ohio Responds Limited Liability Protection document describing the Ohio Law.

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