Speaker:  Dave Nichols, Volunteer Manager & Workforce Manager, Public Health of Seattle & King County The MRC is a relative newcomer to the disaster response world. It is another tool in your emergency management toolkit; but only if you know about it and how it works during a medical emergency or disaster. This presentation has been designed to introduce, inform, and answer questions about the Medical Reserve Corps program and how it fits into the disaster. I will also offer some ways that you can involve them in your exercises to help them learn your area and your operation.

1. How it functions
How you can get involved
How you can use it to help your community

2.  In the beginning
 How we got here
 What we are doing today
 Ways to help strengthen your program
 Ways to utilize your MRC

3.  On 9-11 medical
volunteers showed
up at hospitals to
help with survivors

4.  Despite best intentions of the
volunteers some issues arose in:
◦ Credentialing
◦ Liability
◦ Management

5.  Government was able handle the inoculations
 During the AA it was realized had the event
been larger they would have needed help

6. “My call tonight is for every American to
commit at least two years -- 4,000 hours
-- over the rest of your lifetime to the
service of your neighbors and your
nation.”
“Many are already serving, and I thank you.
If you aren't sure how to help, I've got a
good place to start. To sustain and extend
the best that has emerged in America, I
invite you to join the new USA Freedom
Corps.”

7. MRC concept developed by Health and
Human Services (HHS) to:
◦ Create a system to pre-identify active and retired
medical and public health volunteers – at the
community level
◦ Prepare volunteers in advance of an emergency
◦ Utilize volunteers on an ongoing basis to
strengthen the public health infrastructure year
round

9.  Liability protection for volunteers. Except as
provided in subsections (b) and (d), no
volunteer of a nonprofit organization or
governmental entity shall be liable for harm
caused by an act or omission of the volunteer
on behalf of the organization or entity if:

10. 1. The volunteer was acting within the scope of the
volunteer’s responsibilities
2. The volunteer was authorized by the appropriate
authorities for the activities or practice
3. The harm was not caused by willful or criminal
misconduct, gross negligence, reckless misconduct
4. The harm was not caused by the volunteer
operating a motor vehicle, vessel, aircraft, or other
vehicle

11.  RCW 28.52 Liability
 WAC 118.04.180 responsibility of volunteer
 WAC 118-04-200

12. 49 MRC units
Regional Coordinator: Jesús Reyna

13. 27 MRC units
State Coordinator: Scott Carlson

14.  Hospital/Health
System
 Health Department  Citizen Corps Council
 Emergency Management  Faith-Based
Agency Organization
 Non-Governmental  Civic Organization
Organization  Fire
 Medical Society Department/Agency
 Planning
 College/University
Council/Commission
 Law Enforcement
Agency

15.  Washington State 27 Units
Department of Health - 13 units
Office of Emergency Management - 8 units
Citizen Corps - 3 units
Fire Department - 1 unit
Other - 2 units

16.  Washington State – 2,143 volunteers
◦ Department of Health – 1,731 Volunteers
◦ Emergency Management – 235 Volunteers
◦ Citizen Corps - 125 Volunteers
◦ Fire Department – 40 Volunteers
◦ Other – 13 Volunteers

17.  Medical – 1,538
 Support - 605

18. Volunteer Count Total
Carnation-Duvall
Medical Reserve
Corps , 85
Grays Harbor
Medical Reserve
Corps , 103
Pierce County
Whatcom County Medical Reserve
Medical Reserve Corps , 378
Corps , 108
Skagit County
Medical Reserve
Corps , 114
Thurston County
Medical Reserve
Corps , 117 Public Health
Region IV Medical Reserve Corps of
Reserve Corps Seattle and King
(Southwest County , 350
Washington) , 153
Homeland Snohomish
Security Region 2 County Medical
MRC , 186 Reserve Corps ,
215

19. The mission of the MRC is to engage volunteers
to strengthen public health, emergency
response and community resiliency.

20. ESF8 Missions
Medication
Health Alternate Center
Screening & Care Facility (dispensing or
Assessment vaccinating)
Public Disease/EPI
Information Surveillance
Call Center
PH Workforce & Environmental
Medical Needs PHRC Volunteers Hazard Mitigation
Shelter
Disaster
Behavioral Health Mass Fatality Isolation &
Management Quarantine

29. Open PODs
◦ Dispense medications to the public
◦ Common areas in the community
(gyms, civic centers, community
centers)
◦ Managed by the local public health
departments (local volunteers)
 Closed PODs
◦ Medications dispensed to a specific
group or organization
◦ Not open to the public
◦ Managed by organization’s staff

34. Healthcare for the Homeless Network
Vaccination Clinic
Roles: Greeters, Registrars, Vaccinators
In October, volunteers
spent 139 hours and
administered over 600 flu
vaccinations

36.  Training a small team of volunteers to
provide surge capacity to Medical Examiner’s
Office duties in the event of a mass fatality
 Annual training composed of 10 classes
 2009-2010 team established
 Made up of 12 PHRC volunteers and WA Air
National Guard members

38.  Provide volunteers to help City of Seattle HHS
survey homeless in support of an RFP
 Provide volunteers to CD-EPI for a Norovirus
outbreak in a supported community

40.  Care Clinic in Tacoma on April 30th
 Green River
 Earthquake/Tsunami/Volcano
 Terrorist incident
 Public Health Missions
 Whatever is next

41.  Public Health Support
◦ Outbreak investigation, support of LHD clinics,
Outreach
 Disaster Medical Training
◦ Radiation, Mass vaccination, Field medicine
 Shelter Support
◦ FNSS, Red Cross, Heating & Cooling

42.  Community Support
◦ Fairs, bike & running races
 Support of populations
◦ Elderly, children, un/under insured, homeless

43.  Include them in your planning
 Insert them into drills (they are licensed
medical professionals)
 Public education (hot and cold weather)
 Support of Red Cross shelters
 Add to CERT Drills and activation
 Health screenings of your populations
 Door to door service to deliver
health/safety messages

44.  Questions?
 Ideas you can think of to utilize the Medical
Reserve Corps?
 Thank you

45. My Contact Information
◦ Dave Nichols, CEM
◦ www.kingcounty.gov/health/phrc
◦ We are on Facebook (Public Health Reserve
Corps)
◦ Email address: phrc@kingcounty.gov
◦ or
◦ dave.nichols@kingcounty.gov