Medical reserve Corps
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The Norfolk Health Department is sponsoring a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) unit and invites health professionals and non-medical support volunteers to come together in supporting public health in the community. The MRC is a is a specialized component of Citizen Corps, a national network of volunteers dedicated to donating their time and expertise to prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters. At the national level, the MRC is housed under the Office of the Surgeon General is recognized as the Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps.
The MRC helps to strengthen communities by establishing a system for medical, health and community volunteers to offer their expertise throughout the year, as well as augment public health professionals during times of need. In an emergency, volunteers with a wide variety of skills are needed to assist with the public health response.
In Norfolk, the MRC unit is growing and has a busy summer schedule planned with training and activities. Training includes Orientation, Psychological First Aid, and several online courses such as Incident Command System, National Incident Management System, and Basic Disaster Preparedness. All training is provided free of charge, and individuals who complete the training requirements receive deployment equipment upon their graduation and are then able to volunteer in emergencies.
In addition, during non-emergency times volunteers may be called to assist with health education and outreach, flu clinics, first aid stations, and other special public health or community events.
Volunteers must be a minimum of 18 years old. To learn more about how you can get involved, please check out www.vamrc.org or call (757) 683-2760.
