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The Medical Reserve Corps

What is the Medical Reserve Corps?
As part of the County's emergency planning and response system, the Department of Health Services has developed a community volunteer health service corps, known as the Medical Reserve Corps. This group consists of trained health care professionals, such as nurses, physicians, and pharmacists, as well as non-medical community members, who desire to serve as volunteers in our community during health-related emergencies.

The primary mission of the Sonoma County MRC has been to recruit and train health care professionals for staffing mass vaccination and prophylactic medication dispensing sites in the event of a public health disaster. As the Sonoma County MRC prepares to enter its fifth year, its mission has broadened to include offering surge personnel to hospitals and others in the event of a large health emergency. Roles will be defined with the help of our partners (hospitals, clinics, skilled nursing facilities, alternate care sites, etc.), and Public Health will facilitate training and exercises.

What is the role of the MRC during an emergency?
The MRC will work as part of a county-wide group of responders to a large-scale local disaster. Initially, volunteers will be trained to serve in a comprehensive response that requires mass vaccination or prophylaxis. Positions within the MRC are listed here.

Who can volunteer?
During the first phase of developing the MRC, licensed physicians, nurses, and pharmacists were invited to participate in the orientation and initial training classes for the MRC. In the second phase, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, and non-medical community members will be invited to join this volunteer effort.

What kind of training is needed?
MRC volunteers attend an orientation event, where they learn how the MRC functions during a health-related emergency, and receive training in biological events. Ongoing training includes CPR, first aid, and safety. Volunteers have the opportunity to participate in trainings held throughout the year. Volunteers can sign up for these education and training events online.

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The following links are provided to help volunteers learn more about the Medical Reserve Corps program.

Medical Reserve Corps
Source: State of California, Emergency Medical Services Authority.

Medical Reserve Corps Resource Site
Source: Office of the Surgeon General, Department of Health and Human Services.