medical and public health volunteers .
The MRC is intended to supplement the resources of the existing community emergency response system , and to help meet the public health needs of the community throughout the year . During emergencies , MRC volunteers may also provide an important surge capacity when there is a shortage of regular health care providers .
Emergency duties of medical volunteers may include immunization and prophylaxis , triage , treatment and basic first aid , primary care , communicable disease control measures and distribution of the medications from the Strategic National Stockpile , a federal government repository of medications and supplies that is deployed to local communities during an emergency .
There are nearly 1,000 local MRC units and more than 200,000 volunteers across the country . MRC units are present in all 50 U . S . states , Washington , D . C ., Guam , Palau , Puerto Rico , and the U . S . Virgin Islands .
Here in Louisville , MRC volunteers have assisted during several public health emergencies . They helped to set up and provide services at a shelter for evacuees of Hurricane Gustav at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center in 2008 . They worked with the Department of Public Health and Wellness at a special needs shelter at the Walnut Street Baptist Church in response to the ice storms of January and February 2009 , which shut down power in many parts of the city .
MRC volunteers are required to complete three training courses , which may be completed either online or face-to-face . The courses include a basic MRC orientation as well as training in the National Incident Management System ( NIMS ) and the Incident Command System ( ICS ). These trainings take approximately three hours in total . A criminal background check is also run on all MRC volunteers . Physicians must also provide licensing and certification information and will have that information verified by the appropriate board .
MRC volunteers that have active hospital privileges or who are currently practicing are also encouraged to complete a Hospital / Clinical Privilege Verification form . Those without a current license but who can document health care education and experience are encouraged to complete the Healthcare Experience / Health Care Education form .
Joining the MRC does not require a physician to respond to each and every call-up . The decision to respond if called upon is entirely voluntary . Having a waiting reserve of trained physicians whose credentials have been verified , however , ensures that the community will be able to provide life-saving interventions when needed .
Please strongly consider joining the Medical Reserve Corps . You will be providing a valuable service to your community . For more information go to https :// louisvilleky . gov / government / ema / join-medical-reserve-corps or call Ken Luther at 574-6648 .
Dr . Schulte is the public health director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health .
Dr . Moyer is the medical director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health .
Later that same year , MRC volunteers worked with Public Health and Wellness and the University of Louisville to immunize more than 19,000 people in a day and a half in the parking lot of Papa John ’ s Stadium in response to the threat of the H1N1 virus . MRC volunteers also worked that year to give H1N1 immunizations at all the city ’ s public and parochial schools and at five other private schools .
Most recently , MRC volunteers participated in 2014 and 2015 in preparedness exercises to test our capability to dispense prophylactic medications to the community in response to a terrorist attack by means of “ drive-thru ” dispensing sites at the gates of the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center and at banks throughout the community .
Until fairly recently , the administration of the Medical Reserve Corps in Louisville was the responsibility of Louisville Metro Emergency Services . Oversight has now been transferred to the Department of Public Health and Wellness . A campaign is now underway to shore up the Medical Reserve Corps , particularly to recruit more physicians to the organization .
18 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE