DeKalb County Health Department Receives Grant for Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)
November 12, 2024The DeKalb County Health Department has received an MRC Illinois Grant to start an MRC in DeKalb County. The MRC will include a variety a community volunteers, not just health care or medical workers.
The MRC is a national network of volunteers that was started after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when medical and public health professionals were eager to volunteer but there was no organized way to channel their efforts. As a result, the MRC was established to recruit, train and deploy volunteers to respond to community health needs.
A local MRC is an opportunity for DeKalb County to increase the current community volunteer base by recruiting and training a skilled volunteer force.
MRC volunteers include medical and public health professionals, and other community members without medical backgrounds, who want to improve the health and safety of their community. Volunteers may be asked to respond to natural disasters, disease outbreaks, vaccination clinics, community events and more.
If you are interested in becoming an MRC volunteer, there will be two informational meetings at the DeKalb Library on November 19th at 9:30am (informal table display) and 6:30 pm. You may also contact MRC@dekalbcounty.org or sign up directly at IHelp.net using DeKalb County Health Department MRC as your organization.