About the Medical Reserve Corps of Kansas City
Nationally
Nationally, the Medical Reserve Corps is the component of the Citizen Corps that brings together local health professionals and others with relevant health-related skills to volunteer in their community. The Medical Reserve Corps provides health professionals and others an organized mechanism through which they can volunteer their time and skills to strengthen their communities by preparing for and responding to large-scale emergencies and disasters, such as an influenza epidemic, chemical release or act of terrorism.
Locally
The Kansas City metropolitan area’s Medical Reserve Corps unit, MRCKC, is intended to supplement the resources of the local public health and emergency management infrastructure in the event of a large-scale emergency or disaster. MRCKC does not replace or supplant existing systems or resources.
Volunteers work under the direction of the local public health departments or emergency managers and are incorporated into their operations. However, MRCKC does include specific leadership positions, all held by volunteers.
MRCKC conducts licensure verification as needed to ensure that selected members are qualified to provide care to the public.
To meet the varying needs of both volunteers and local public health and emergency management agencies, MRCKC offers three ways to participate. You can select the option that best meets your interests and availability:
- Division 1 — Volunteers, both medical and non-medical, who are willing to attend ongoing training and bimonthly full corps meetings. These volunteers may take on leadership roles and guide the operation of MRCKC.
- Division 2 — Volunteers who choose to respond to emergencies only. These volunteers are willing to join MRCKC and receive designated emergency response training, but may not be able to attend regular meetings or participate in non-emergency events.
- Division 3 — Primarily trained health care professionals who volunteer to be registered in the MAMRC database. These people would report to a Volunteer Reception Center during a large-scale emergency. Because MRCKC has previously verified their licenses/credentials, these individuals can be processed quickly, provided with on-the-spot instruction, and put right to work during an emergency.
We keep our volunteers informed of regular meetings, training and exercise opportunities, service opportunities, and special events through monthly electronic correspondence.
