North Country Health Consortium: Medical Reserve Corps

Mission and Vision:

The Mission of the Medical Reserve Corps - Northern NH Unit (MRC-NNHU) Is to work collaboratively with other responder organizations and health providers to plan for coordinated volunteer response to any public health emergency.  A trained volunteer contingent will support public health and saftey professionals and participate in community public health projects when not active in an emergency.

The Vision of the Medical Reserve Corps - Northern NH Unit (MRC-NNHU) is that the organization will be able to contribute significantly to the overall public health improvement initiatives of the North Country Health Consortium and its partner organizations while preparing to assit health and safety workers in any kind of emergency that may overburden the established response systems in the northern tier of NH.

History:

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, there was an outpouring of support for emergency relief efforts.  Many Americans asked, "What can I do to help?"  Medical and public health professionals wanted to volunteer their services, but many were not able to do so.  While public health and medical volunteers have important skills and knowledge, they could not be used because they were not identified, credentialed or trained in advance.

The anthrax attacks in Fall 2001 reinforced the need for supplemental medical and public health personal to assit with emergency operations.  The anthrax missions provided medications to almost 40,000 individuals.  If these events were much larger, the Federal responders could have been overwhelmed.

To help meet these needs, the Medical Reserve Crops Program was formed in 2002, in cooperation with the White House's USA Freedom Corps, as one of the charter programs of Citizen Corps.  At the core of MRC is pre-identifying, training and organizing medical and public health professionals to volunteer in thier communities.  MRC volunteers offer their expertise throughout the year by supporting local public health initiatives.  In an emergency, MRC volunteers work in coordination with existing local emergency response programs.

With the MRC in place, a formerly untapped community resource - medical and public health volunteers - is functioning and available for the community to access in emergencies and for ongoing efforts in public health.

In 2003, the North Country Health Consortium recieved funding from the Office of the Sergeon General to begin a Medical Reserve Corps Unit in the North Country.  The Medical Reserve Corps - Northern NH Unit is advised by the Region 5 Northern New Hampshire EMS Council and coordinates with local emergency responder agencies, municipalities and health care provider agencies.

Nationwide Quarterly Progress Report

The Northern NH MRC Unit:

The Northern NH MRC is housed in a rural, regional health consortium composed of five Critical Access Hospitals: four community health centers, a community mental health center, two home health care agencies, two nursing homes and a community action program office.  The NNH MRC is governed by the North Country Public Health Network. The MRC's current focus is to engage clinical staff in the program from area facilities, and provide interesting training activities that enhance the health professions workforce

Northern NH Communities Served:

New Hampshire- Bath (03740), Berlin (03570), Bethlehem (03574), Bretton Woods (03575), Colebrook (03576), Errol (03579), Franconia (03580), Gorham (03581), Groveton (03582), Haverhill (03765), Jefferson (03583), Lancaster (03584), Lisbon (03585), Littleton (03561), Milan (03588), Monroe (03771), Mount Washington (03589), North Haverhill (03774), North Stratford (03590) Pittsburg (03592), Randolph (03593), Sugar Hill (03586), Twin Mountain (03595), West Stewartstown (03597), Whitefield (03598), Woodsville (03785)

Northern New Hampshire Unit covers the northern part of the state up to the Canadian Boarder.  Please note that not all towns are listed even though they are part of the juristiction.

Upcoming Trainings and Events:

Come back soon!

Contact Information:

Elaine Belanger, MRC Volunteer Coordinator
North Country Heath Consortium

795 Main St.
Berlin, NH 03570
Phone: 603 259 3700 x 229
Email: ebelanger@nchcnh.org

Volunteer Count:

"I strongly encourage all of you--all able medical and health professionals, even ordinary citizens who can help with non-technical tasks--to join your local Medical Reserve Corps Unit.  If there isn't one nearby, find out what you can do to get one started and lead the way for others."  Vice Admiral Richard H. Cormona, MD, MPH, FACS, Surgeon General, Commander, USPHS Commissioned Corps, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

We currently have 72 MRC Volunteers throughout Northern NH.

Physicians: 0
Physician Assistants: 2
Nurse Practitioners: 2
Nurses: 27
Pharmacists: 0
Dentists: 1
Mental Health Professionals: 2
EMS Professionals: 15
Respiratory Therapists: 0
Other Public Health/Medical: 2
Non-Public Health/Non-Medical: 21
 

External Links:

Apply to Volunteer Online

More Information:

Medical Reserve Corps

MRC Volunteer Handbook