News and Notes

MRC Program Sustainability – Your help is needed now!

The Peninsula MRC receives all of its funding from grants. Grants are relied upon to support the operation of the entire MRC Unit, as well as specialized programs that help augment and support the health, preparedness, and resiliency of the Hampton and Peninsula communities.

Grant consideration is now given only on the number of volunteers who have completed the following training, and can then be considered a deployable asset on the Peninsula and in Hampton:

  • Peninsula MRC Orientation – now available on-line at:
    https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/mrc/training/
  • Successful background investigation – if you have not completed a background investigation form and submitted it to the PenMRC office, please contact the PenMRC for details on how to complete this form and have it notarized. Please note we do not have access to the background investigation results from other organizations including the Virginia Department of Health. You must complete the MRC BI process.
  • Peninsula Medical Reserve Corps Identification Badge – if you do not have an MRC badge, please contact the PenMRC Office for an appointment to have your photo taken for a badge.
  • ICS-100 http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/is100b.asp
  • ICS-700 http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/is/is700a.asp – we are a NIMS compliant organization and this training is strongly encouraged.

We do not have access to the FEMA database; to ensure proper credit for the course, please send the .pdf certificate(s) following the course test by email to Julie.Segor@vdh.virginia.gov.

This training is imperative to you maintaining your membership with the MRC.

Additionally, it is important that you DO NOT DELETE email alerts that contain opportunities to serve. You must click on the link inside of the email and select ‘available’ or ‘unavailable’. Volunteer response rates to MRC events are being considered in grant funding.

Thank you for your understanding.

Training

Training is the gateway to serving with the Peninsula Medical Reserve Corps. Much time and effort goes in to hosting training, and sometimes instructors travel long distances to provide training, typically free of charge, and often pre-empting their own work or personal schedule.

  • When you receive a training alert and you click on available, your name is added to the roster and the instructor is expecting you.
  • It is your responsibility to mark your calendar; training reminders are NOT provided.
  • No show for training is subject to review and determination of removal from the Corps.

Emergency Phone Alerts 101

Disasters can strike at any time. The VVHS phone alerting system is the system that is used to notify volunteers that help is urgently needed.  This system is still in development.

Here’s how it works:

  • Approved/Active volunteers identifying any phone number in their volunteer record as ‘Emergency Only’ or ‘Both” will receive an emergency phone alert on each of those phones. The system will call each number until answered, or up to 3 times.
  • Answer the phone and hear “you have an important message from MRC, press any key to continue”. It is recommended that you press the number 1.
  • Once you press the number 1, the message will play and provide minimal details.
  • Once the message completes, you will be asked to press the number 1 to confirm. This simply means you heard the message, not that you are or are not available to serve.
  • You will be instructed to call the MRC Coordinator or designee if you are available to serve. If you are not available, please do not call.
  • You will receive full details for deployment upon calling if you meet qualifications to serve.
  • If you were left a voice message that states “you have an important message from the Medical Reserve Corps”, please call the office at 757-594-8045, or email for opportunity details.
  • This information will be updated as enhancements to the phone alerting system are made.

Field Service in Emergencies, Public Health Outreach, or Exercises:

Volunteering is serious business for Peninsula Medical Reserve Corps and volunteers are relied upon more and more by those in our communities. If alerted to serve, and you have expressed you are available, and have received your official deployment instructions from the MRC office, you are expected at the event or incident, and likely fill a critical role.

  • Please show up. Not being there has a domino effect on the ability to provide critical and timely services.
  • No shows damage the reputation, reliability, and integrity of the Medical Reserve Corps organization, and place a heavier burden on other volunteers and staff.
  • We understand life happens, but you must call your assigned supervisor (or MRC office) as soon as possible if you are unable to follow through on your commitment. The sooner you do the easier it is to back-fill your slot.
  • No show for an event is subject to review and determination of removal from the Corps.