Agency - Oahu Medical Reserve Corps

The mission of the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is to build and support teams of local volunteers who contribute their skills and expertise for medical and public health services throughout the year and during times of community need. Hawaii’s MRC units help to ensure we are self-sufficient in a time of crisis by filling gaps in medical and public health response not covered by other agencies.

Description:
The main focus of the Oahu MRC is to fill gaps in response that are not covered by other emergency response entities or volunteer organizations. The curriculum that is developed and used in MRC trainings is consistent statewide, and is in line with the recommendations handed down from the national MRC organization. To date our curriculum includes an MRC Orientation, Point of Dispensing(POD)clinic training, training on the needs of vulnerable populations during disasters, and Epidemiological Surveillence and case finding. There are currently over 400 volunteers in the Oahu Medical Reserve Corps.

History:
The MRC was founded after President Bush’s 2002 State of the Union Address, in which he asked all Americans to volunteer in support of their country. It is a partner program with Citizen Corps, a national network of volunteers dedicated to ensuring hometown security. Citizen Corps, along with AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and the Peace Corps are part of the President's USA Freedom Corps, which promotes volunteerism and service nationwide. MRC units are community-based and function as a way to locally organize and utilize volunteers who want to donate their time and expertise to prepare for and respond to emergencies and promote healthy living throughout the year. MRC volunteers supplement existing emergency and public health resources. Oahu MRC members have both medical and non-medical backgrounds.

Contact person: Todd Kaneshiro, Program Coordinator, (phone), (email)

Address:

1250 Punchbowl St. Room 405 Honolulu, HI 96813 (See a map)