Press Esc to cancel
The Santa Cruz County Medical Reserve Corps was established by the Santa Cruz County Medical Society in partnership with the County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency and other community organizations.
For general information on Santa Cruz County Medical Reserve Corps, please email MedicalReserveCorps@santacruzcountyca.gov .
The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a national network of medical and nonmedical volunteers, organized locally to improve the health and safety of their communities. The program is housed within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. MRC units and volunteers are committed to strengthening public health, reducing vulnerabilities, improving local preparedness, response and recovery capabilities, and building community resilience.
The MRC fills critical public health emergency response resource gaps and supports the tiered model of emergency response, with support at the local level first, to help offset resource requests from the state and/or federal level.
The Santa Cruz County MRC (SCCMRC) was established in 2005. In 2019, The Santa Cruz County MRC was placed within the Health Services Agency Public Health Division to provide necessary infrastructure and coordination services. The SCCMRC is composed of a variety of medical and nonmedical volunteers who share a commitment to helping others and making a difference in the community.
MRC units are community-based and function to locally organize and utilize volunteers who want to donate their time and expertise to prepare and respond to emergencies and promote healthy living throughout the year. MRC volunteers supplement existing emergency and public health resources.
Reach a volunteer network of local medical and public health professionals to build resilient communities in partnership through education, preparedness and response and recovery activities from public health emergencies.
Promote emergency preparedness and community resilience by supporting the Santa Cruz Public Health Department during Public Health Emergencies and major disasters. The MRC works to support local initiatives and establish strong relationships across local government, health-care systems, community and faith-based organizations to improve health and wellness systems for vulnerable populations.
Emergency preparedness and response is a highly coordinated effort that allows communities to maximize their capabilities during times of extreme disorganization and stress. MRC volunteers may already have specialized knowledge and backgrounds in health-related fields. MRC training focuses primarily on learning local emergency and health procedures, trauma response techniques, use of specialized equipment and other methods to increase the effectiveness of their volunteers. The most important skill gained from MRC training is how to work as part of a team. A successful MRC unit is familiar with its community's response plan, knows what materials are available for use, knows its response partners, and knows how to effectively utilize their skills.
To learn more about the Medical Reserve Corps program, please visit Become a Volunteer MRC. You may also email us at MedicalReserveCorps@santacruzcountyca.gov.
Santa Cruz County MRC Tiers & Trainings
The public has opportunities to be educated on developing an emergency preparedness plan, how to create a go-bag, and how to stay safe from public health threats. This is done through community presentations, tabling events and social media. In addition, the public will be educated on what the MRC’s role is in the county and how they potentially may be qualified to become a member.
Centralized locations in impacted areas where residents pick up life-sustaining relief supplies following a disaster or emergency will be designated. Volunteers will staff the PODS to support in relief efforts. Residents will be informed on these locations as needed through shelter volunteers, disseminated flyers and the Public Health Information Officer .
Public health screenings will be conducted by MRC deployed public health nurses, doctors and behavioral/mental health professionals at emergency pop-ups, shelters, and other locations set up for necessary screenings. This is done to assess and best manage the health status of the community and advise a plan dependent on that status. Those who may need to be isolated or quarantined can be separated as not to impact others in the population.
The MRC members in Tier Levels 1-4 can be activated to local surge responses in an emergency. Members can augment and assist emergency shelters with setting up an alternate care site.
Based on the severity of the emergency, specific shelters will be set up. Public health nurses and doctors will be deployed to manage and staff these shelters, as well as behavioral health volunteers. Shelters can be pop-up shelters or those previously identified as a shelter designated site. Emergency shelters are based on the location of the disaster, severity of needs and number of displaced residents.
Support Emergency Operation Centers can be established if there is a need and are based on the nature of the disaster and number of displaced residents. MRC non-medical and medical volunteers can staff these additional support centers.
Mental health and behavioral health volunteers will be deployed to assess mental health needs in an emergency. These volunteers are trained in psychological first aid and are licensed professionals. These can include psychologists, social workers, counselors and psychiatrists.
The MRC volunteers will be activated in accordance with the nature of the emergency. MRC volunteers are deployed and communicated with through email, text and phone. Volunteers will confirm their availability with the MRC Coordinator.
Ongoing planning for the MRC to identify gaps through planning, training, exercising and managing resources will be conducted.
If other counties need additional MRC volunteers to help support disaster efforts, we can deploy those pre-approved to assist other counties. The DHV system can identify specific volunteers. We can identify and communicate this need immediately as well as with the other county.