Governor Hogan has asked health care practitioners to be a part of the Maryland Responds Medical Reserve Corps. The state is accepting online registration from retired and inactive health care professionals as well. We expect to need local assistance from MRMRC here in Caroline before the pandemic is over and are asking any healthcare professional of any kind, active or retired, to register to serve our community.
The Maryland Responds Medical Reserve Corps is a community-based, civilian, volunteer program that helps build the public health infrastructure and response capabilities of communities in Maryland. Volunteers will be called upon when local resources have been exhausted or are overwhelmed and additional help has been requested.
Maryland Responds, previously known as the Maryland Professional Volunteer Corps, is administered by the Maryland Department of Health Office of Preparedness and Response. Maryland Responders include medical and public health professionals, such as physicians, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, dentists, veterinarians and epidemiologists. Many other non-medical community members also support the Medical Reserve Corps, such as interpreters, chaplains, office workers, and legal advisors.
Volunteers may provide care directly to individuals seeking medical or mental health attention at disaster relief shelters. Likewise, volunteers may also assist their communities with ongoing public health needs, such as immunizations and screenings.
Membership in the program is open to anyone over age 18 who is interested in assisting in the event of an emergency. Volunteers will not be required to serve all day, and tasks will be outlined in the request. The registration system for the Maryland Responds Medical Reserve Corps will collect basic information about public health practitioners and their professional skills. Registration is available online at https://mdresponds.health.maryland.gov/faq.php.
The use of the Maryland Responds Medical Reserve Corps is one of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s emergency actions amid the coronavirus pandemic. If you have medical skills and training, we hope you will consider putting them to use to serve your friends and neighbors.