Agency Details:

Oahu Medical Reserve Corps

To establish local teams of volunteers who can contribute their skills and expertise for medical and public health services during times of community need and throughout the year

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 curriculm 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 Distribution(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 people:

SzePui Cheng, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email) Kate Gaynor, Program Director, (phone), (email) John Velligas, Administrative Assistant, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (808) 586-8334

Address:

PO Box 3378 Honolulu, HI 96801

Web Site: http://www.hawaii.gov/health/emergencyprep/mrc

Last updated on July 7, 2009