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Coordinating: Possible Points of Contact

Some general points of contact exist between your MRC unit, local Citizen Corps councils, and other volunteer-based organizations. Partnering among these groups may promote volunteerism. Other organizations may have access to certain resources—information, contacts, in-kind goods and services, training resources, and funds—which they may be willing to share.

Other natural points of contact for MRC units exist with the public health, medical, and emergency response organizations in your area. These might include:

Public health departments
EMS (emergency medical services) agencies
Hospitals
Emergency management agencies
Fire departments
Law enforcement agencies
Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs)

Contact your state’s office of volunteerism. Identify networks devoted to statewide or regional health, medical and/or emergency management efforts. Consider how local volunteers can assist in the event of a regional health effort or public health emergency. The network may include contacts with representatives from Federal-level programs such as MMRS (Metropolitan Medical Response System), DMAT (Disaster Medical Assistance Team), and NDMS (National Disaster Medical System).

It is vital to network beyond these general partners. Other community groups—such as faith-based organizations, groups that work with the elderly or disabled, agencies that work with non-English speaking populations, etc.—may reveal unmet community needs and offer valuable resources in knowledge, personnel, and possible material resources that may be useful to your MRC.

Identifying Partnership Opportunities

When identifying partnership opportunities, consider:

Which local efforts are underway that the MRC can help support?
Which ongoing community needs might your MRC volunteers usefully respond to?
Which vulnerable populations of your community—low-income groups, non-English speakers, individuals with disabilities, etc.—could utilize your MRC volunteers’ services during emergencies and non-emergencies?

Other Related Programs of the United States Government

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness (OPHEP)
HHS Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness Program
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) Program
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
CDC Bioterrorism Health Preparedness and Response
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Supporting Hospital Preparedness Planning

Explain to hospital representatives how your MRC volunteers can support and assist hospitals with emergency planning and operations, including:

Using volunteers and integrating them into their emergency preparedness planning and exercises.
Developing an emergency operations plan that reviews the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) standard MS.5.14.4.1, which recommends establishing procedures for quickly verifying volunteer credentials during an emergency (when unable to handle immediate patient needs) and granting disaster privileges to pre-identified and pre-qualified individuals to address surge capacity needs.
Partnering with the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP)
Partnering with a local MRC or starting an MRC to optimize emergency planning and volunteer integration into existing systems, including pre-screening volunteers for greater operational efficiencies during actual emergencies.
Using volunteers throughout the year, during non-emergency periods, to strengthen relationships with the medical and public health volunteer community. This will promote familiarity among individuals (staff and volunteers) and encourage awareness of operational systems and organizational cultures so that emergency utilization will flow more smoothly.

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Last Updated on 8/18/2006