About the Geauga County
Medical Reserve Corps
Mission:
The mission of the Geauga County Medical Reserve Corps
is to enhance the existing health care capabilities by collaborating with
local response partners to provide an organized system of trained volunteers
who would be activated in times of community need and who may be utilized to
serve with public health outreach and education
Scope:
The Geauga County MRC will work within Geauga County. If volunteers choose, they can assist with
regional, state, and/or national response efforts.
Benefits to the
Community
Major local emergencies can overwhelm the capability of
first responders, especially during the first 12-72 hours. Having citizens who are prepared to take
care of themselves, their families and others during times of crisis will
allow first-responders to focus their efforts on the most critical, life
threatening situations.
An organized, well trained Medical Reserve Corps unit
means that volunteers can effectively respond to an emergency, are familiar
with their community’s response plan, know what materials are available for
their use, know who their partners in the response are, and know where their
skills can be utilized to their best advantage and in a coordinated manner.
An Organized Team
Approach
During an emergency, communities will activate their
Local Emergency Operations Plans (LEOP).
These plans define how emergency personnel (fire, law enforcement,
emergency medical services) will respond to and manage the emergency.
By creating a Medical Reserve Corps unit that is linked
to emergency management, the members of the Medical Reserve Corps can truly
benefit the community by knowing what their role is during an emergency, how
they fit into the emergency plan, and how best to respond so that they are a
positive support structure for the first responders.
Background
During and after any major disaster, emergency response
services are not likely to be able to respond immediately to everyone’s
needs. It could be several days before
vital services are restored. As part
of a trained volunteer group, you can be prepared to assist yourself, your
family, friends, neighbors, etc.
The Geauga County Medical Reserve Corps has developed
its program through:
1.
Forming a Steering Committee;
2.
Recruiting medical and non-medical volunteers
from local hospitals, EMS, public health,
and the community;
3.
Creating a database containing all volunteer
information, including credentials, contact information, etc; and
4.
Developing orientation, core competencies and
training programs for volunteers.
Results and
Benefits Expected
Recruitment for the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) will be
community based and managed. The MRC
seeks volunteers from various professional and non-professional backgrounds,
including medical and non-medical, behavioral, public health, and support
staff. The MRC will offer flexibility
and allow volunteers to choose their desired level of participation and
commitment.
The Geauga County MRC will be incorporated into the
local Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) through the Emergency Operations Center
(EOC). All emergency and disaster
related functions of the MRC would be initiated through the EOC. The MRC will enhance and improve the
emergency medical response capacity in the community. The program will enhance the region’s
ability to respond to either a natural hazard or a terrorism event and be the
designated volunteer corps utilized to provide surge capacity during public
health emergencies. For example, responses could include mass vaccination or
dispensing clinics; alternate care and/or triage facilities. With pre-planning, pre-identification of
treatment sites, and pre-identified, certified, and trained volunteers, a
safe, rapid, and effective response will be available in a major emergency or
disaster.
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