{"id":10,"date":"2016-06-22T19:47:35","date_gmt":"2016-06-22T19:47:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/swvamrc\/?page_id=10"},"modified":"2023-04-28T11:38:48","modified_gmt":"2023-04-28T15:38:48","slug":"faq","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/swvamrc\/faq\/","title":{"rendered":"Frequently Asked Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul style=\"margin-top: 2em;\">\n<li><a href=\"#canjoin\"><strong>Who can join a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) unit?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#notlicensed\"><strong>Can I apply if I&#8217;m not currently licensed or practicing in a medical field?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#howjoin\"><strong>How do I join my local MRC unit?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#obligated\"><strong>Am I obligated for volunteering for the MRC if I work in a hospital or health care facility, serve in the military, have other work requirements or family commitments that do not allow me to volunteer at the time of an emergency?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#liability\"><strong>What liability protection is available for volunteers?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#outside\"><strong>Will I be asked to volunteer for an emergency event outside of Virginia?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#contacted\"><strong>How will I be contacted in an emergency?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#personal\"><strong>Who will have access to my personal information?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#concerns\"><strong>If I have concerns once I have volunteered, whom do I contact?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a id=\"canjoin\"><\/a><br \/>\n<strong><span class=\"faqblue\">Who can join a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) unit?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Community members, with or without medical training, who are willing to support public health on a daily basis and, or, during public health emergencies are encouraged to join. This includes health professionals from all of the health occupations.\u00a0 Most MRC units have non-medical volunteers who provide education, logistics, communication, coordination and other support.\u00a0 There are many positions in the MRC that do not require medical skills.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a id=\"notlicensed\"><\/a><br \/>\n<strong><span class=\"faqblue\">Can I apply if I&#8217;m not currently licensed or practicing in a medical field?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yes. MRC units need both medical and non-medical volunteers. Some of the positions for volunteers will require licensure, to protect the volunteer as well as to ensure the best care for those in need of medical care. In the event of a disaster, those with prior medical expertise could serve as medical interviewers, clinic coordinators, and in other positions. In addition to licensed medical personnel, there will be many needs for unlicensed health professionals as well as a need for those without medical training.\u00a0 Local MRC units provide training in emergency response, public health and other related fields to all volunteers.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a id=\"howjoin\"><\/a><br \/>\n<strong><span class=\"faqblue\">How do I join my local MRC unit?<\/span><\/strong><strong><a id=\"howjoin\" name=\"howjoin\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can register on-line at www.vamrc.org or by contacting your local Medical Reserve Corps coordinator or public health district (link to Find a VA MRC unit).<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a id=\"obligated\"><\/a><br \/>\n<strong><span class=\"faqblue\">Am I obligated for volunteering for the MRC if I work in a hospital or health care facility, serve in the military, have other work requirements or family commitments that do not allow me to volunteer at the time of an emergency?<\/span><br \/>\n<\/strong><br \/>\nYou are a volunteer.\u00a0 Therefore, there are no set availability requirements. As a MRC volunteer, you maybe called to support a public health emergency response.\u00a0 By planning and preparing in advance of an emergency you will be ready to assist your local MRC, and you know your family will be taken care of while you are gone. Certainly, we understand that in emergencies you may have work and family commitments that prohibit you from volunteering.\u00a0 We hope that when you are needed that you will be ready and available.\u00a0 Many MRC units also participate in numerous non- emergency public health activities that you can be involved in if you have other emergency response commitments.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a id=\"liability\"><\/a><br \/>\n<strong><span class=\"faqblue\">What liability protection is available for volunteers?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 2005, the Virginia General Assembly passed Housebill 2520 to ensure additional protection for MRC volunteers. \u00a0 MRC Volunteers who are called to a health event by a Virginia Medical Reserve Corps and volunteer under the direction of the Virginia Department of Health receive the some coverage under the state, when they are involved in state sanctioned and directed programs. Similar protections apply to volunteers under Medical Reserve Corps directly tied to city or county government organizations when directed by representatives of those government agencies. You should not be placed in a position by any MRC to perform any task or skill that is outside of your existing scope of practice or experience and volunteers should protect themselves by only working within their scope of practice or skill at all times. There are also other liability protections that may apply to MRC volunteers when performing their duties.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a id=\"outside\"><\/a><br \/>\n<strong><span class=\"faqblue\">Will I be asked to volunteer for an emergency event outside of Virginia?<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\nMRC volunteers are considered local assets.\u00a0 However, the National Medical Reserve Corps and disaster response agencies in other states have contacted us during emergencies requesting volunteer support, such as the Gulf Coast Response to Hurricane Katrina.\u00a0 You may have the opportunity, if you desire, to join the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps that supports the Department of Health and Human Services national response efforts or to deploy as a VA MRC volunteer in the support of a state- to-state response request.\u00a0 All volunteer requests and information will be provided by your local MRC coordinator.\u00a0 Volunteers wishing to deploy within the state and nationally are required to complete National Incident Management System and Incident Command System and Incident Command training.\u00a0\u00a0 If you are willing to volunteer outside your local area please indicate that when applying to volunteer.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a id=\"contacted\"><\/a><br \/>\n<strong><span class=\"faqblue\">How will I be contacted in an emergency?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You will be notified by your local unit coordinator or emergency planner via the information that you provide when applying to the join your MRC unit.\u00a0 A recorded audio message and email message will be sent to you.\u00a0 Therefore, it is <strong>very important<\/strong> that you keep your contact information current.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a id=\"personal\"><\/a><br \/>\n<strong><span class=\"faqblue\">Who will have access to my personal information?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Your local MRC or public health district coordinator and the State volunteer coordinator will have access to this information for the purpose of your volunteer role. Your personal information will only be provided to your local MRC unit or health district.\u00a0 Your permission will be required if there is a need to provide your information to any other organizations.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a id=\"concerns\"><\/a><br \/>\n<strong><span class=\"faqblue\">If I have concerns once I have volunteered, whom do I contact?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Your local <u><a href=\"http:\/\/166.67.66.226\/mrc\/findmrc.htm\">MRC coordinator<\/a><\/u> your local public health district or the State Volunteer Coordinator, Jennifer Freeland at Jennifer.Freeland@vdh.virginia.gov.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who can join a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) unit? Can I apply if I&#8217;m not currently licensed or practicing in a medical field? How do I join my local MRC unit? Am I obligated for volunteering for the MRC if I work in a hospital or health care facility, serve in the military, have other [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Frequently Asked Questions - Southwest Virginia MRC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/swvamrc\/faq\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Frequently Asked Questions - Southwest Virginia MRC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Who can join a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) unit? 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