Interested in Joining the MCR?
July 2, 2020
School Nurses, please link for directions on how you can join the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) in order to provide nursing care during the COVID-19 crisis.
Are you interested in giving back to your community during this COVID-19 pandemic? Have you thought about joining your local Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)?
The MRC is a national network of volunteers, organized locally to improve the health and safety of their communities. The MRC network comprises approximately 180,000 volunteers in roughly 860 community-based units located throughout the United States and its territories. Illinois has 71 local based units with the majority housed out of their county’s health department and the remaining units are affiliated within their jurisdiction.
It is a really simple process.
It is recommended to register with your closest Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) unit using the Illinois Helps system which is an Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP). The link is provided below. By registering within Illinois Helps system you can become a part of an alert system and be the first to respond to a significant disaster or public health emergency, such as COVID-19 as an example. Once you have registered to become a volunteer your professional credentials will become part of the secure statewide database of volunteer professionals. Then your local unit leadership can reach out to you.
Link: https://www.illinoishelps.net/
Chicago Public School (CPS) Nurses: if you are a Chicago Public School Nurse select Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) (MRC). After you select CDPH MRC, there will be a plus sign that you must click on, then CPS Nurses will appear, select this option.
Other School Nurses in Illinois: should choose an MRC that is either in their county or closest to their county, i.e. If you live in Cook County, you should choose Cook County Department of Public Health MRC as your selection.
We hope you consider giving back during this time and the Medical Reserve Corps is a great organization to do it with.