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Region IV MRC Update - August 2006

In this issue:

• Welcome New MRC Units
• National Preparedness Month Reminder
• Volunteer Coordination Resources
• News From the Office of the Surgeon General
• Upcoming Events of Interest
• Congratulations to the MRC Program Director
• Helpful Online Resources
• New MRC Web Site Features
• Upcoming Health Observances
• New Training Opportunities Through MRC TRAIN
• Regional Coordinator Contact Information

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Welcome New MRC Units

Please welcome our newest units:

Barren River Area Medical Reserve Corps—The Barren River Area Development District (KY) has formed an MRC unit to meet the 10-county area’s needs in the event of a large-scale emergency requiring health and medical support. They are working with Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) and retired medical professionals and area medical professionals that have signed up with the state’s volunteer Web site.

Flagler County MRC—The main roles of the Flagler County (FL) MRC are focused on Special (medical) Needs Shelters and on mass vaccination/mass prophylaxis for this county of more than 75,000.

Columbus Regional MRC—The Columbus Regional (GA) MRC began with the creation of CERT teams in the Columbus Metropolitan Medical Response System area. They are working towards better coordination of health and medical volunteers in an emergency.

This brings us to 73 registered units in our eight-state region (460 nationwide). If you know of a community that would like to start its own MRC unit, please have them contact the Regional Coordinator, Elizabeth Fitch at (404) 562-4276 or efitch@dhhs.gov. Units may apply for registration through the MRC Web site. Your support for these new units as they develop is very much appreciated.

MRC Reaches a New Milestone

With the addition of the North Dakota Public Health Emergency Volunteer MRC, there are now MRC units in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Palau, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

National Preparedness Month Reminder

September is National Preparedness Month. What can your MRC unit and its partners do to enhance the culture of preparedness in your community? See the Ready.gov Web site and the Extension Disaster Education Network National Preparedness Month Resource Page.

Volunteer Coordination Resources

Q: What is your MRC unit’s most precious asset?
A: Its volunteers.

Volunteers are the heart and soul of MRCs, and it is their energy and dedication that helps to inspire us. Managing a volunteer program is a complex task, but there has been a lot of research on what works. Here are some online resources that can help you create the best possible volunteer experience for people who join your MRC unit:

Program Planning

• Working Solutions: Volunteer Program Planning

Recruiting

• Communicating Your Message to the Media
• ServiceLeader’s Volunteer Recruitment: Tips from the Field
• VolunteerMatch: Volunteer Recruiting Research

Retention

• Philanthropy News Digest, Managing and Valuing Volunteers
• The Urban Institute: Volunteer Management and Recruitment of Volunteers (PDF 169 KB)

Recognition

• National Volunteer Week Recognition Ideas 
• Energize Inc’s Volunteer Recognition Ideas  

Risk Management

• Nonprofit Risk Management Center (not only for nonprofits)
• The Public Entity Risk Institute
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Volunteerism Resources

Current Thinking and Trends in Volunteer Management

• VMWeb 
• Charity Channel’s Volunteer Management Review  
• Energize, Inc.

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News From the Office of the Surgeon General

Dr. Richard H. Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of the United States, has relinquished his post as Surgeon General at the end of his 4-year term. Admiral Carmona was sworn in on August 5, 2002.    

Surgeon General Carmona spoke eloquently of his support for the MRC at the 2006 MRC National Leadership and Training Conference in April and was presented with an American flag by MRC volunteers who served in response to Hurricane Katrina. Rear Admiral Kenneth Moritsugu is now serving as Acting Surgeon General.

Upcoming Events of Interest

• August 1, 1:00–2:00 p.m. (Central Time)—The Role of Health Promoters in Emergency Response (satellite conference and Webcast)
   
• August 3, 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET—Guidelines and Standards for Weapons of Mass Destruction Response
   
• August 3, 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET—Mass Antibiotic Dispensing VI: Alternate Methods
   
• August 10, 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET—Applications of GIS in Agricultural Emergencies
   
• August 23, 2:00–3:00 p.m. ET—ComNET: Communications, News, Equipment & Training (National Terrorism Preparedness Institute)
   
• September, 2006—National Preparedness Month
   
• September 18–22, Orange Beach, AL—National Emergency Management Association Annual Meeting
   
• September 25–27, Atlanta, GA—CDC Public Health Information Network Conference
   
• October 19, 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET—Cities Readiness Initiative Webcast
   
• November 2–3, 2006—Region IV MRC Conference (location to be announced—more information coming soon)
   
• April 17–20, 2007, Providence, Rhode Island—2007 MRC National Leadership Conference
   

Congratulations to the MRC Program Director

Congratulations are in order for Program Director Robert Tosatto on his recent promotion to Captain in the U.S. Public Health Service.

Helpful Online Resources

Just a reminder: There is a collection of Web sites available that may be useful to MRC unit coordinators. The easiest way to look at these links is by topic—if you go to the archive page, click on the drop-down box next to “filter by topic” (at the top of the page) and you will see the topics available. Pick a topic, such as Risk Management/Liability, click the “search” button, and you will see the Web resources I’ve collected under that topic, along with a brief clipping from the page and possibly a note from me about the link. Recent additions include: HRSA Disaster Planning for Special Needs Populations, Initial Medical Screening and Ongoing Public Health Surveillance in Evacuation Centers, National Health Information Center and American Academy of Pediatrics: Disaster Preparedness and EMS. Happy Surfing!

New MRC Web Site Features

The MRC Web site has some exciting new features. Check out these updates:

• The Acronym List
• The Video Gallery, which contains the National Terrorism Prevention Institute's video featuring the MRC
• An updated Promising Practices section with resources and ideas from MRC units nationwide
• The updated Technical Assistance Series, which now includes Special Topics Publications that address various issues

To ensure you receive notification when new features are added to the Web site, sign up for the MRC Listserv. More exciting updates are coming soon.

Upcoming Health Observances

August is National Immunization Awareness Month

September is National Preparedness Month



September is National Food Safety Education Month



September is National Cholesterol Education Month

New Training Opportunities Through MRC TRAIN

The MRC has partnered with the Public Health Foundation to make hundreds of online training opportunities available to MRC units and their volunteers. Unit coordinators can now log onto the MRC TrainingFinder Real-Time Affiliate Integrated Network (TRAIN) site to give their volunteers access to its array of courses. Unit coordinators also will have the ability to assign courses to volunteers and track participation and completion. More information will be coming soon on training for unit coordinators on how to use MRC TRAIN’s administrative features. To get started, visit the MRC Web site for fact sheets and user guides.  

Regional Coordinator Contact Information

Elizabeth H. Fitch, M.P.A.
Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center	(404) 562-4276 (Office)
61 Forsyth Street, SW	(404) 562-7899 (Fax)
Suite 5B95	elizabeth.fitch@hhs.gov
Atlanta, GA 30303

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Last Updated on 8/11/2006