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Organizing an MRC Unit: The Primary Operational Components

Differences in organization will exist among Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) units. Your unit’s organizational structure will be determined by factors such as existing resources, local health and medical needs, and volunteer availability.

Despite these differences, it may be useful to evaluate the similarities among MRC units. For example, each MRC unit will include leadership and management, whether a coordinator, leadership team, or an advisory board.

Each MRC unit, regardless of its organizational structure, must address three primary operational issues:

1. External coordination
2. Volunteer relations
3. Internal organization

These operational components do not suggest organizing your unit any differently than what you may have already. However, consider the overall picture and note certain priorities. Each operational priority addresses a particular range of activities, although in practice, there are many ways to accomplish them.

For example, external coordination and volunteer relations are critical enough to an MRC unit’s success that the unit coordinator’s main responsibility essentially can be defined as matching community needs—for emergency medical response and ongoing public health initiatives—with volunteer capabilities. This process is complicated, and it requires continual attention and re-evaluation as local needs and volunteer force evolve.

The third operational component involves establishing and maintaining an internal organization. This internal organization provides the necessary foundation for the other two focal components.

These three components address most activities an MRC unit coordinator will encounter and oversee.

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Last Updated on 8/16/2006