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Frequently Asked Questions
What
Is The Medical Reserve Corps?
The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a component of Citizen
Corps, under the USA Freedom Corps. In response to the outpouring of volunteer
support in the days following September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush
created the USA Freedom Corps to promote volunteerism and service throughout
the U.S. This national initiative is made up of several components including
Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Citizen Corps, a national network of volunteers
dedicated to making sure their families, homes and communities are prepared
in the event of terrorism, crime, and disasters of all kinds. Medical Reserve
Corps units are community-based and function as a specialized component of
Citizen Corps.
Tell
Me About the San Bernardino County MRC.
The San Bernardino County Medical Reserve Corps (SBC MRC) program began in
the fall of 2003, following a federal grant award from the Dept. of Health & Human
Services through the Office of the Surgeon General. The San Bernardino County
Medical Society was the recipient of the three-year grant totaling $150,000
and was one of 123 grantees in the nation in 2003. Creating the SBC MRC has
been a collaborative effort of representatives from several existing emergency
response agencies including the Inland Counties Emergency Medical Agency
(ICEMA), San Bernardino County Dept. of Public Health, San Bernardino County
Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), San Bernardino County Fire Dept.
Office of Emergency Services (OES), local chapters of the American Red Cross,
and physicians representing hospitals in San Bernardino County.
In order to be most effective during times
of emergency, volunteers must be organized and trained to work in emergency
situations. The MRC is designed to provide that organizational structure
and promote appropriate training of volunteers for communities throughout
San Bernardino County. The MRC grant funding will be used to provide supplies
and resources for volunteers and to provide training opportunities for MRC
volunteers to help the community be better prepared for public health emergencies.
Who Can Volunteer?
We are looking for a variety of individuals who are willing to volunteer
their skills and knowledge to serve their communities when public health
emergencies hit close to home. Whether you have medical skills, mental
health skills, or simply want to contribute to public health and safety,
there is a place for you in the SBC MRC. We are looking for:
- Licensed medical professionals (such
as nurses, physicians, pharmacists, dentists, physician assistants, EMT's,
medical technician's, veterinarians)
- Non-licensed volunteers with medical
background (such as medical records, medical receptionists, health educators)
- Mental health professionals (such as
counselors, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clergy)
- Volunteers with other specialties (such
as computer specialists, translators/interpreters, public information specialists)
- Non-medical community members to provide
basic support
MRC volunteers can be Active or Inactive
in their profession, they could be retired, or they could be students. Licensed
medical professionals must maintain a current license if they are volunteering
to provide medical services within the scope of their license. Medical professionals
with an inactive license may still volunteer to provide other services to
the SBC MRC. If you are currently licensed, you must maintain your licensure
or notify the MRC Coordinator if the license has expired.
Do I Need to Have Medical Skills to Volunteer for
the MRC?
Not necessarily. We have a need for medical volunteers to perform specific
medical functions. But non-medical volunteers can fulfill other important
needs such as translation assistance, computer assistance, clerical support,
health education, stocking medical supplies, managing clinic flow, public
information contact, supporting medical programs, logistics during an emergency,
etc. Everyone's skills are valued and needed.
What Might I
Be Asked to Do as an MRC Volunteer?
During a public health emergency, MRC volunteers may be needed to help staff
an emergency vaccination clinic, or a pharmaceutical distribution clinic,
or an emergency medical services clinic at an evacuation shelter. Volunteers
might be asked to serve in several different ways including providing medical
treatment or evaluation; providing education, administering vaccine, distributing
medication, directing people flow, providing mental health consultation,
registering patients, entering data from forms, stocking supplies, handling
the press/media, etc. We will do our best to match volunteers' skill levels
and interests to the need and to ensure that the role you are asked to fill
is appropriate for your skill level and area of expertise, but volunteers
must be flexible.
During non-emergency times, the SBC MRC
will provide opportunities for volunteers to help improve the overall health
and well being of their neighborhoods and communities by collaborating with
current and future San Bernardino County Medical Society programs. These
activities might include assisting with flu clinics, children's health screenings,
providing education sessions or presentations on special health topics, helping
with health fairs, promoting immunization campaigns. Again, we will do our
best to match volunteers' skill levels and interests to the need.
If I Volunteer,
What is the Time Commitment?
We ask that SBC MRC volunteers complete the training offered. In the event
the MRC is activated, services during emergencies require volunteer flexibility
and commitment, usually on a 24-hour/day schedule. The expected time-commitment
of volunteers will depend on the scale of the public health emergency, as
well as what other events are happening at the time. For some health emergencies,
it may be as little as part of one day. For potentially catastrophic events
like a smallpox outbreak, we might mobilize volunteers to work several 12-hour
shifts over several days. We would ask that you commit to serve throughout
the event for all of the timeslots we would need to cover, but your availability
to volunteer is up to you.
Do
MRC Volunteers Receive Any Compensation?
No, MRC volunteers are not paid. Volunteers willingly give of their time
for the benefit of the communities in San Bernardino County during a time
of extreme need.
What About Liability
for MRC Volunteers?
The law relating to liability coverage varies from state to state. At this
time, a uniform policy of protection for MRC volunteers across the nation
does not exist. In San Bernardino County, MRC volunteers would provide direct
medical services and assistance only during a declared public health emergency.
Medical Reserve Corps volunteers would complete paperwork and take the oath
to become a Registered Disaster Service Worker with the local government
agency overseeing the disaster (i.e., San Bernardino County Department of
Public Health or San Bernardino County Office of Emergency Services). This
would ensure that the volunteer will be covered under the Emergency Services
Act (CA Government Code §8657) CA Government Code §8659 gives malpractice
immunity to "any physician or surgeon…hospital, pharmacist, nurse
or dentist who renders services during any state of war emergency, a state
of emergency, or a local emergency at the express or implied request of any
responsible state or local official or agency….. Also, CA Labor Code §3211.92(b)
and the California Code of Regulations (CCR) Title 19 §2570.2(3)(b)(1)
specify that the protection extends even during training for these emergencies.
These provisions generally provide protection from liability during an emergency,
except in cases of gross negligence.
Can an MRC Volunteer
be Sued for Actions Occurring While They Are Helping During a Disaster?
The Emergency Services Act (CA Gov't. Code §8657 provides DSW volunteers
with limited immunity from liability while providing disaster service as
it is defined in §§2570.2 and 2572.2 of the Disaster Service Worker
Volunteer Program Regulation (Calif. Code of Regs., Title 19). Additionally,
U.S. Public Law 105-19, Volunteer Protection Act of 1997, provides limited
protection. Registered DSW volunteers cannot be held liable for their actions
during a disaster while acting within the scope of their responsibilities.
However, immunity from liability does not apply in cases of willful intent,
unreasonable acts beyond the scope of DSW training, criminal misconduct,
gross negligence, reckless misconduct, or a conscious flagrant indifference
to the rights or safety of the individual harmed by the volunteer.
What Is the Difference
Between the MRC an Other Emergency Support Organizations, Such As the
American Red Cross or Salvation Army?
MRC volunteers in San Bernardino County will be called to support the emergency
medical response system during a public health emergency. MRC volunteers
may be utilized in areas such as helping to staff an emergency vaccination
clinic, or a pharmaceutical clinic, or an emergency medical services clinic
at an evacuation shelter during such an emergency, providing critical staffing
needs in the medical area. Other emergency support organizations would have
a different role in accordance with the San Bernardino County Emergency Operations
Plan. For example, the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army would primarily
provide feeding, shelter, and mass care during a public health emergency.
The Salvation Army would also provide religious counseling and spiritual
care.
How Do I Sign
Up as a Volunteer for the SBC MRC?
You have several options to sign up as an SBC MRC volunteer:
- Volunteer registration begins simply
by filling out the registration form, via our website (www.sbcms.org/mrc)
and submitting it electronically.
- Interested persons may call the San
Bernardino County Medical Society at (909) 825-6526 to request an MRC Volunteer
Application.
- You could contact the MRC Project Coordinator
by e-mail at mrc@sbcms.org to request
an application.
- Or you could mail a request to the
SBC MRC at the address shown below:
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MEDICAL
RESERVE CORPS
San Bernardino County Medical Society
P.O. Box 11029
San Bernardino, CA 92423-1029
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