Worcester Regional Medical Reserve Corps Liz Foley, Coordinator

Worcester Regional MRC

9/23/2015 3Worcester Regional MRC What is the MRC? The Medical Reserve Corps (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. The Medical Reserve Corps (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. The program is federally recognized and operates under direct control of the Surgeon General’s office. The program is federally recognized and operates under direct control of the Surgeon General’s office. Why the MRC? The MRC provides the structure necessary to pre- identify, credential, train, and activate medical and public health volunteers. Why the MRC? The MRC provides the structure necessary to pre- identify, credential, train, and activate medical and public health volunteers. Engages volunteers to strengthen public health, emergency response, and community resiliency

9/23/2015 4Worcester Regional MRC 985 MRC Units in the United States 46 Units in MA  91.16% of population covered  73.69% of US area covered What is the MRC?

9/23/2015 5Worcester Regional MRC Who is the MRC? Over 204,759 volunteers nationwide  Physicians  Physician Assistants  Nurse Practitioners  Registered Nurses  Dentists  Veterinarians  Clergy  Pharmacists  Mental Health Professionals  EMTs and Paramedics  Epidemiologists  Health Educators  Social Workers  Non-Medical Professionals

9/23/2015 6Worcester Regional MRC Volunteers of Public Health

9/23/2015 7Worcester Regional MRC The Worcester Regional MRC (WRMRC) Created by the Worcester Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS) in 2006 The WRMRC is overseen by Worcester Division of Public Health 3 Units Cover 74 towns in the Massachusetts Public Health Region 2 Recruits medical and non-medical professionals to volunteer to assist in the event of a local or regional emergency

Cities and towns covered by WRMRC 9/23/2015 8Worcester Regional MRC

Other MRCs in this Region Wachusett MRC P.O. Box 555 Hubbardston, MA Greater Grafton MRC 30 Providence Road Grafton, MA ext /23/2015 9Worcester Regional MRC

9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC Mission: Provide public health volunteer medical services that supplement existing resources in case of disaster Key Areas: promote public health and safety 1. Public Health Emergencies 2. Mass Casualty Incidents 3. Community Service Activities

MRC volunteers agree to deploy after they have fulfilled their obligations to MRC volunteers agree to deploy after they have fulfilled their obligations to Their families Their families Their work Their work Worcester Regional MRC

9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC Monthly orientation Monthly orientation Monthly training (core competency) Monthly training (core competency) Orientation Basic First Aid BLS CPR/AED or BLS for Healthcare Professional ICS-100 (Incident Command System) NIMS-700 Emergency Dispensing Sites (EDS) Operations Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Mental Health Aspects of Emergencies and Disasters for Non-Mental Health Professionals What We Offer

Objectives Personal Preparedness Chain of Command Role of local MRC Unit Volunteer Communication Mental Health impact of events Procedures Volunteer roles and limitations 9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC Core Competencies

Public Health Emergencies Preparedness and Response Drills/exercises Real events 9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC

Mass Casualty Incidents Medical volunteers may be asked to assist with triage and treatment of victims at the scene of a mass casualty incident. Non-medical volunteers can assist with dispensing equipment at the scene. 9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC

Community Service Blood pressure screening/preventive health events Health fairs First aid tents 9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC

9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC Deployment/Activation Details WRMRC will receive a request for assistance Automated alerting system will be activated Volunteers will follow directions given by the automated system. Or Volunteers will be notified by with specific instructions

9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC Deployment/Activation Details Id badges provided to all volunteers Volunteers must be personally prepared: Appropriate clothing, any personal items that are needed including medications and personal snacks. Typically a debriefing will take place after large scale incidents

Personal Preparedness Be prepared to exist for first 72-hours after a disaster Plan kit according to individual and family needs Are you elderly? Do you have a baby? Other special considerations? Inventory contents every 6 months; make changes as necessary Seasonal changes, expiration dates 9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC

9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC “Go Kit” Contents Water Food First Aid Tools Household Supplies Clothing Bedding Flashlight/Radio Medication Batteries Comfort Items Specific Needs

Additional training and resources Memorandum of Understanding with the Red Cross Shelter Operations/Shelter Simulations Courses hosted by other MRCs Other courses and training events at state and national level MRC “handbook” 9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC

9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC Liability Protection Massachusetts Department of Public Health Volunteers and Liability Handout Federal Volunteer Protection Act 42 U.S.C Doctors and Nurses Working in Public Health Programs Mass. General Laws, Chapter 112, 12C Good Samaritan Laws Various provisions of Mass. General Laws Protection for EMS Personnel Mass. General Laws, chapter 111C, 21 Protection for Public Employees Mass. Tort Claims Act, General Laws, chapter 258

9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC Liability Protection Deployment Expectations: Follow the chain of command. Stick to assigned duties. Don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with – no matter who asks you. Working with other MRCs in the State to lobby for expansion of the coverage of the Good Samaritan Act

MA Responds Statewide Database - Created to pre-register, manage, mobilize existing clinical and non-clinical volunteers - Helps responding to all types of disasters efficient. Volunteers have the opportunity to create a profile Website has the ability to send various notifications (message, , call, text) CORIs/SORIs done and Credentialing will be kept current 9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC

9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC Badging Each volunteer will receive a badge. The badge will be color coded by professional category. Medical Personnel - Red medical personnel that are not able to administer medications i.e. EMT's, physical therapists, occupational therapists, etc.) - Blue Basic Medical Personnel (medical personnel that are not able to administer medications i.e. EMT's, physical therapists, occupational therapists, etc.) - Blue Mental Health Personnel - Purple Non-Medical Personnel- Green

9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC Should you become a volunteer with the MRC?  Flexible time commitment  Free trainings  Opportunities to participate in community events  Ability to volunteer should you wish during large scale emergencies and disasters

9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC  We can never have too many volunteers!  Disasters are never what you expect!  We need to be prepared for severe weather events! Finally...

Websites WorcesterRegionalMRC.org MAmedicalreservecorps.org Medicalreservecorps.gov Social Media Facebook - Worcester Regional Medical Reserve Corps (WRMRC) Twitter 9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC Find out more…

9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC Questions?

9/23/ Worcester Regional MRC For More Information… Visit website: WorcesterRegionalMRC.org Or contact: Liz Foley Worcester Regional Medical Reserve Corps c/o Department of Public Health 25 Meade St. Office 206 Worcester, MA (508)