The mission of the West Texas Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is to enhance the regional response capabilities in the event of an emergency, disaster or disease outbreak by providing a coordinated response using locally recruited medical, behavioral health, public health, and health support volunteers. The Medical Reserve Corps volunteers will also work to improve the overall health, preparedness, and well-being of the region. The rationale for the establishment of the MRC occurred during the hurricane events of 2005 and “Storm 2006”. For example in the flooding of 2006 El Paso received evacuees from both Katrina and Rita, during these incitements it became very apparent that El Paso and Southern New Mexico needed a plan to meet regional needs.
If our community is affected by a bioterrorist attack or a pandemic outbreak affecting hundreds to thousands of people, a reserve corps would help address those medical needs which would overwhelm our traditional ability to respond and provide mass care.

 

Starting this month, you may begin to see billboards around El Paso city encouraging Texans to get ready and prepare for disasters. These billboard messages will be running through October 2009. The messages will be in english and spanish. Promoting personal preparedness is a top priority for our agency’s Community Preparedness section. Anyone can log on to the following websites at http://readyelpaso.com/ or http://readyelpaso.org/ take a few minutes to learn more on how you can make your community more prepared.

The key is  to help the public get ready and have information on how to volunteer. Volunteering is one of the greatest ways to give back. Donating your time shows your community and those who need you, that together we can make our world a better place. Wherever you can help, there is a need to be filled whether it's through training, disaster response, administration or special events, we need you.
Don't wait any longer to find out what you can accomplish and who you can help through the West Texas Medical Reserve Corps and other notable local charities.

MRC Unit Leaders should be aware of specific H1N1 (Swine flu) training and educational resources available on MRC-TRAIN. The Public Health Foundation has worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to make available the following CDC podcasts through MRC-TRAIN:

• Clean Hands Help Prevent the Flu (1:12) (05/01/2009)
• H1N1 Influenza (Gripe porcina) (Swine Flu) (8:58) (04/30/2009)
• Protection from H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) (3:42) (04/30/2009)
• CDC H1N1 (Swine Flu) Response Actions and Goals (3:39) (04/30/2009)
• General Instructions for Disposable Respirators (2:19) (04/29/2009)
• Symptoms of H1N1 (Swine Flu) (3:45) (04/27/2009)
• H1N1 (Swine Flu) (5:46) (04/25/2009)
• Put Your Hands Together (3:48) (10/14/2008)

New FEMA training for MRC members!!!

• IS-806 - ESF #6: Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Housing, and Human Services offered via online independent study.  Course can be accessed at http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS806.asp

Information Sites

• Texas Citizen Corps Conference
• Radiation Event Medical Management (REMM)