Village of Arlington Heights Illinois

The AHMRC will be a specialized component of our Citizen Corps Council. Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) units are locally based volunteers who can assist their communities during emergencies such as an influenza epidemic, public health emergency, or an act of terrorism. Our MRC will consist of licensed medical health professionals that are willing to volunteer their special skills and expertise in times of need. The AHMRC is looking for volunteers with a desire to serve their community. A well-trained and skilled volunteer corps can keep our community prepared and healthy! 

The benefits of volunteering for our MRC is the satisfaction of providing an important preparedness function for our community, training opportunities, and to develop skills and gain experience in community health issues. Depending on the recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and the Illinois Department of Public Health, MRC volunteers and their family may receive priority prophylaxis during a public health emergency. We hope you are interested in joining our AHMRC team!

Our goal is to...
Create an organization of volunteers that is drawn from the ranks of active and retired professional healthcare providers of all disciplines, first responders, EMT and others that have a stake or significant interest in healthcare through non-professional entities that could augment and support active response protocols in times of major emergencies and or disasters.

Develop operational guidelines under which the AHMRC will conduct itself consistent with guidelines established by the National Office of MRC.

Recruit from all levels of the healthcare industry and associations, those people willing to volunteer their time in case of emergency or disaster. These levels will include, doctors, nurses, EMT’s, pharmacists, pharmacy techs, dentists, dental techs, therapists, and veterinarians.

Provide consistent training to all volunteers in the area of emergency management/disaster preparedness especially as it applies to the Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) including Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training, CPR/AED, and basic first aid.

Create an operational network that would assist specialized healthcare operations such as pharmaceutical distribution points, augment ER operations, work with first responders for mass casualty incidents, shelter coverage, etc.

Train with all local entities of police, fire, emergency management and with local partners in an effort to become more familiar with a multitude of emergency response characteristics.

During times of major emergencies and disasters, all levels of government strive to handle the onslaught of needs that are brought to their attention from a variety of affected areas. In an effort to meet all of the needs, assistance and cooperation from numerous parties is required to resolve all the issues at hand. 

Certain types of medical/healthcare incidences may overwhelm first responders, making it necessary to rely on other resources within the community. 

By establishing a Medical Reserve Corps in Arlington Heights, healthcare volunteers can serve in support of first responders and area hospitals/extended care facilities in time of major emergencies or disasters. 

The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a network of community-based, citizen volunteer Medical Reserve Corps units, which have been initiated and established after 9/11 for use in their communities. Medical Reserve Corps units provide health professionals (current or retired) the opportunity to volunteer their time and skills within a planned, organized and coordinated local Medical Reserve Corps unit to supplement existing resources during times of emergency. An organized, well trained local MRC unit means that volunteers can effectively respond to an emergency within the initial 12-72 hour critical period to augment medical staff shortages; are familiar with their community’s response plan; know what materials are available for their use; know who their partners in the response are; and know where their skills can be best used in a coordinated manner. 

Currently in Arlington Heights, there is no single entity that serves as a coordination point for volunteer services of this nature. Therefore the establishment of an Arlington Heights Medical Reserve Corps, under the Arlington Heights Citizen Corps Council, will provide this important service for our community.

For more information on the Arlington Heights Medical Reserve Corps, please contact the Health & Human Services department at healthmail@vah.com.