The Medical Reserve Corps
The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a national network of local volunteer groups committed to improving the health, safety, and resilience of their communities. The Medical Reserve Corps was founded in 2002 after then-President George W. Bush’s State of the Union Address, in which he asked all Americans to volunteer in support of their country.
MRC volunteers include medical and public health professionals, as well as non-medical volunteers, who are interested in strengthening the public health infrastructure and improving the preparedness and response capabilities of their community. MRC units identify, screen, train, and organize their volunteers, utilizing them to support routine public health activities and augment preparedness and response efforts.
During emergencies, volunteers may provide an important “surge” capability to perform some functions usually performed by emergency health staff that have been mobilized. They can also augment medical and support staff shortages at local medical or emergency facilities. Volunteers may be used in large-scale, complex emergencies involving multiple jurisdictions and interagency operations, or in smaller incidents involving a single jurisdiction or agency. Volunteers may be assigned to area hospitals, public health agencies, or mass care facilities to augment and assist the staff of those facilities.
Information about MRC units in Wisconsin can be found here.
Becoming a Member
MRC membership is open to any person who has a desire to serve his or her community in a volunteer capacity, is 18 years of age or older, has a current / valid driver’s license or state identification, and is a citizen of the United States of America or a legal/registered immigrant. Volunteers need not have any medical or public health experience or background in order to gain membership.
MRC members are also required to register with the Wisconsin Emergency Assistance Volunteer Registry (WEAVR), a secure online database used to store information about volunteers for use during emergency situations. Your registration with WEAVR does not mean you will be required to deploy for any given situation.