Sonoma County Home | Site Map | Contact Us | Search

The Medical Reserve Corps

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the volunteers?

Volunteers are licensed health professionals (nurses, physicians, and pharmacists), licensed mental health professionals (LCSW, MFT, psychologists, and psychiatric technicians) and non-medical community members.

What is the purpose of the MRC?

To draw local health professionals, mental health practitioners and community members into volunteer service; to train volunteers to respond to the needs of their community; and to provide surge capacity (extra staffing) for emergency response locations as deemed necessary by Public Health. The MRC is not a replacement for existing staffing resources.

What is required to become a MRC volunteer?

First, volunteers attend an orientation training. All volunteers are required to attend an orientation training where they learn how the MRC functions, what County emergency plans are currently in place, about their roles and responsibilities and any related biological and/or mental health preparedness responses.

After attending an orientation, participants become official County volunteer by completing and submitting a County volunteer application. As an official Sonoma County volunteer, all MRC volunteers are covered for service by the County's risk management for workers compensation and liability protection.

Volunteers are encouraged to attend ongoing training, drills and exercises held throughout the year. Trainings may include pandemic influenza preparedness, using safety needles, personal preparedness, and a variety of public health topics. Drills and exercises include participation in the setup of public health Points of Dispensing sites (PODs) and participation hospital emergency preparedness drills.

Volunteers are also encouraged to participate in community events. Community events include staffing annual community flu shot clinics, participating in the respiratory/hand hygiene etiquette program for elementary school children, and other community health education activities.

Finally, volunteers need to prepare their families for their absence during a health emergency by creating and maintaining a family emergency plan and supply kit. Volunteers need to prepare themselves to serve on short notice by creating a personal go-kit, packed in advance so that if a health emergency strikes, they can just pick up the kit and go!

What are volunteers asked to do and where?

For detailed job descriptions visit our Positions in the MRC webpage.

In response to a public health emergency, volunteers are trained to serve in a variety of settings. These emergency field assignments may be at public health Points of Dispensing sites (PODs), hospitals, special emergency health facilities or other assignments as necessary.

How does the volunteer program communicate with its volunteers?

On a regular basis volunteers receive email messages with a web link to invitations to volunteer trainings, conferences, events and exercises. We also publish a quarterly online newsletter. Using email and our website is cost efficient and allows us to quickly communicate with over 80 percent of our volunteers!

For emergency notification and deployment, volunteers will receive a telephone notification call. Volunteers are contacted by an automated telephone system used by the County. The deployment message contains: 1) a greeting: "This is Sonoma County Public Health with a message for the Medical Reserve Corps;" 2) the date of the call; 3) the time of the call; 4) situational information and instructions; 5) where to report; 6) a list of what to bring; and, 7) any other pertinent information and/or instructions.