Macoupin County

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. MRC is a specialized component of Citizen Corps, a national network of volunteers dedicated to ensuring hometown security. Citizen Corps, along with the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the Peace Corps are all part of the President's USA Freedom Corps, which promotes volunteerism and service throughout the nation.

Our world has many potential dangers! Natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, or man made emergencies, such as 9/11 or a chemical spill, can happen at any time without warning. Due to the need for emergency management planning, the Department of Homeland Security began and coordinates the Citizen Corps. One of the programs developed by the Citizen Corps is the Medical Reserve Corps. The Medical Reserve Corps is designed to recruit, train, and mobilize available community memers who have the background to be helpful in the event of a disaster. An MRC can be used to supplement traditional community emergency services when a disaster is of a magnitude that overwhelms such resources.

The Macoupin County Medical Reserve Corps has been implemented to serve the needs of Macoupin County communities in the event of an emergency. Even in smaller communities, natural or man-made disasters can occur at any moment. The need to be prepared is a growing necessity. Medical and non-medical professionals are encouraged to join.

MISSION STATEMENT:  Emergency response begins at the local level. The Macoupin County Medical Reserve Corps has been established to supplement the emergency response functions of Macoupin County, including response to Public Health disasters (pandemic influenza/ bio-terrorism), tornadoes, floods, chemical spills, earthquakes, etc. The MRC provides opportunities for citizens to train in response activities to better assist their communities and their families.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: 

• Goal 1: Increase the number of trained Medical Reserve Corps volunteers
• Goal 2: Train current Medical Reserve Corps volunteers
• Goal 3: Increase the exposure of the Medical Reserve Corps in communities
• Goal 4: Increase knowledge of public regarding basic home preparedness