Medical Reserve Corps and Radiation Response Captain Narayan Nair, MD Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps Office of the Surgeon General

Overview Upon conclusion to this presentation, the participant will be able to: Discuss trends in volunteerism Discuss the concept of the MRC program Understand ways the MRC may contribute radiation emergency preparedness Understand ways radiation professionals may engage the MRC

Volunteerism ~ 61.8 million Americans (26.4% of the U.S. population) volunteered through an organization in 2008 > 8 billion hours of service in 2008 – worth an estimated $162 billion Source: Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)

Beware of SUVs Spontaneous Unaffiliated Volunteers

A Brief History Following 9-11 attacks – Thousands of unaffiliated volunteers show up at sites No way to ID or credential Not covered under liability laws No Incident Command System (ICS) training Difficult to manage

MRC “At A Glance” National network Mission: Engage volunteers to strengthen public health, emergency response and community resiliency Key Points: – Organize/utilize locally – Affiliate/integrate with existing programs and resources – Volunteer management -- identify, screen/verify credentials, train

MRC Models Community-based = No “typical” MRC All MRC units: – Provide an organization structure for utilizing members – Pre-identify members – Verify professional licensure/certification – Train/prepare Units vary by: – Housing organizations – Partner organizations – Types/number of volunteers – Local mission/activities

Why Not One Model? Local leaders determine the model that best fits their community needs – Population – Geography – Community government structure – Health needs Differing laws and local government structure – one “size” does not fit all

Housing Organizations

MRC Volunteers Medical and public health professionals – in training – active practice – inactive – retired Other interested individuals – can help with communications, administration, planning, logistics, etc…

MRC Volunteers

MRC Activities FY ,524 activities  1,063 administrative  2,831 public health  1,528 preparedness  2,264 training  1,838 emergency response FYO9 – 6,468 activities FY08 – 5,346 activities FY07 – 2,832 activities

Support Existing Public Health Resources Support Existing Emergency Resources

9/11 Event HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius receives her seasonal flu shot from an Alexandria MRC volunteer

Potential role for MRC in Radiological Response Set up Alternate Care facilities Assist with Shelter Operations Staff SNS/PODs Help address behavioral health issues Population Monitoring Educating the Community

MRC Units with a focus on Radiological Response Florida Radiation Response Volunteer Corps MRC GEM Mississippi Radiological Volunteer Professionals

How can Radiation Professionals Engage a local MRC? Contact the volunteer administrator to learn what roles have already been identified for volunteers Volunteer count by type is available on the unit profile Work with the local unit to determine what their role should be in a radiation response Discuss what additional types of volunteers would be needed, what training would be needed/could be provided

Finding MRC Units

Finding MRC Units

Bridging the Gap and Making the Connection Educating MRC Units about Radiation Response and Population Monitoring Educating professionals about the MRC Providing specific training to MRC volunteers Identifying and mitigating challenges/barriers

For More Information OCVMRC – – (301) MRC website – MRC Regional Coordinators – MRC State Coordinators – Contact existing MRC units

Contact Information Narayan Nair, MD CAPT, USPHS Office of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps Office of the Surgeon General Room 18C-14, Parklawn Building 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD (301)