Volunteer Program
Medical Reserve Corps FAQs
What is MRC?
MRC stands for Medical Reserve Corps. It is a partnership between North Dakota Health and Human Services (NDHHS) and volunteers throughout the state of North Dakota. The MRC program is sponsored by the NDHHS Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Unit. It enhances the ability of North Dakota’s health and medical system to respond in a public health emergency.
What is the purpose of MRC?
MRC’s mission is to provide medical and non-medical personnel to assist in a public health emergency. The purpose of the MRC program is to recruit volunteers (medical and non-medical) and train them before an event occurs to thus save time in the response phase of a public health emergency.
A database of MRC volunteers is maintained by the NDHHS EPR Unit. It should help minimize the number of spontaneous volunteers and maximize the response capacity in the event of an emergency.
Why is MRC necessary?
Every disaster has a public health component. A public health emergency could range from a flood to an influenza epidemic. Having a pool (database) of identified and pre-screened volunteers will aid in the response time, enabling officials to help the community recover from a disaster quicker.
Who can volunteer?
For safety reasons, all MRC volunteers must be at least 18 years old and live, work, or go to school in North Dakota or a neighboring state. Individuals deployed as MRC volunteers will be covered under ND Worker’s Compensation Insurance if injured while assisting as a MRC volunteer in an emergency situation.
What volunteer roles are available for individuals with medical backgrounds?
A variety of medical positions would need to be filled in the event of a public health emergency (examples mass medical care, pandemic response, mass vaccination, surge staffing during a pandemic).
These might include:
- Nurse LPN, RN, APRN, NP
- CNA, Medical Assistant
- Phlebotomist
- Pharmacist
- Medical Doctor
- Dentist/Dental Assistant
- EMT/EMR/Paramedic
- Social Worker
- Veterinarian
What volunteer roles are available for individuals with non-medical backgrounds?
Volunteers that perform non-medical tasks are just as critical as medical personnel. Some of the roles for non-medical staff may include:
- Administrative (Data Entry)
- Security/Safety
- Logistics/Supplies
- Interpreter
- Communication Support
- Technology Support
- Driver (CDL)
- General Volunteer Assistance
- Clergy
You do not need to be a health-care professional to join. Call your local public health office for more information. Volunteer