Profile:
The Montgomery County Medical Reserve Corps (MCMRC), in collaboration with the Montgomery County Health Department, is designed to help Montgomery County with surge capacity in a local disaster, including assisting mass prophylaxis/vaccination clinics or other major public health needs. The need for the MRC became apparent after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when thousands of medical and p
ublic health professionals, eager to volunteer in support of emergency relief activities, found that there was no organized approach to channel their efforts. Local responders were already overwhelmed and did not have a way to identify and manage these spontaneous volunteers, and many highly skilled people were turned away. As a result, the MRC was established to provide a way to recruit, train, and activate medical and health professionals to respond to community health needs, including disasters and other public health emergencies. Each MRC unit is led by an MRC unit coordinator, who matches community emergency response and public health needs with volunteer capabilities. Unit coordinators are also responsible for building partnerships with other community organizations, ensuring the sustainability of their MRC unit, and managing volunteer resources.
