Misson
The mission of the University of Georgia Medical Reserve Corps is to support the UGA Campus, Clarke County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), Public Health and the local hospitals response plans where medical personnel support is needed. Specifically, the UGA MRC will focus their mission to the following areas:
- Preparedness and Community Resilience: Support for campus and community preparedness education, health and preparedness events, community health and preparedness outreach.
- Response: Support for mass dispensing of medication, hospital, health center medical surge, mass casualty triage.
- Recovery: Support for ongoing medical surge needs, D-mort operations, and post-event medical education and follow-up.
In each of these mission areas, both medical and non-medical volunteers are needed in order to assure an effective response. Therefore, in addition to encouraging medical professionals to participate in the UGA MRC, non-medical volunteers who have a desire to support the UGA MRC mission will also be encouraged to affiliate and participate. UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness currently operates a CERT program with which we will partner to cross-train non-medical volunteers.
The UGA Medical Reserve Corps will be a member of the newly established Athens-Clarke County Citizen Corps Council. The UGA MRC is already participating in planning meetings with the local Citizen Corps Council and has gained the support of the local Emergency Management Administrator. The UGA MRC is also a part of the local Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
Membership
Anyone wishing to become a member of the UGA MRC and to support its mission is welcome to join at any time. Upon enlisting, all volunteers become eligible for training programs. Volunteers are not required to live or work in the service area, as long as they are willing to participate in area activities. Before volunteers are assigned badges, all application and training requirements must be completed.
Application Procedures
Every UGA MRC volunteer must register through the state registry of volunteers, SERVGA,(www.servga.gov). Under “Volunteer Opportunities”, choose the “University of Georgia Medical Reserve Corps” from the listing of volunteer agencies. The UGA MRC office will notify you through SERVGA of your acceptance as an MRC volunteer.
For additional information
For additional information on the UGA MRC, contact Noelle Broadnax, 706-542-1289.
History of the Medical Reserve Corps
Uniting Communities – Preparing the Nation
In his 2002 State of the Union Message, President Bush called on all Americans to make a lifetime commitment of at least 4,000 hours – the equivalent of two years of their lives – to serve their communities, the nation, and the world. President Bush announced the creation of USA Freedom Corps to help Americans answer his call to service and to foster a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility.
The Citizen Corps is the component of USA Freedom Corps that creates local opportunities for individuals to volunteer to help their communities prepare for and respond to emergencies.
The Medical Reserve Corps is the component of the Citizen Corps that will bring together local health professionals, community volunteers to provide support services, and others with relevant skills.
History of UGA MRC
The UGA MRC was first conceptualized in the Spring of 2012. It was believed that a campus MRC unit could augment UGA’s current response and resiliency capabilities along with the surrounding county. Because UGA has multiple medical professional colleges, the College of Pharmacy, the College of Veterinary Medicine and the new Georgia Regents University / UGA Medical Partnership, from which trained professionals could be recruited, UGA was identified to house the unit.
Stakeholder meetings were held in June 2012 with multiple organizations within UGA and Clarke County in order to develop an advisory board and outline the unit’s mission and guiding principles. These efforts culminated with the establishment of the UGA MRC on July 23, 2013.
The Role of the UGA MRC
In an emergency, the UGA MRC will provide support and assistance to the organization(s) in Clarke County and on UGA campus that request assistance. UGA MRC volunteers will be assigned their duty, given just in time training, and told when and where to report via Georgia Responds web-based volunteer registry system.
Major emergencies can overwhelm the capabilities of first responders, particularly during the first 12 to 72 hours. UGA MRC volunteers can provide a vital capacity during this critical period. In a nutshell, communities often need medically trained individuals and others to increase their response capabilities.
The UGA MRC functions by organizing and utilizing volunteers who want to donate their time and expertise to prepare for and respond to emergencies and promote healthy living throughout the year. UGA MRC augments existing emergency and public health resources. The responsibilities of UGA MRC volunteers vary, depending on the nature of the needs in Clarke County and on UGA’s campus. UGA MRC volunteers can assist during emergencies, with public initiatives, and with ongoing community health outreach and education efforts.
