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Medical Reserve Corps earns federal grant

Posted 3/14/22

LIBERTY — Sullivan County’s newly recognized Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) received word that it’s one of only three New York-based MRCs to receive Federal funding in 2022.

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Medical Reserve Corps earns federal grant

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LIBERTY — Sullivan County’s newly recognized Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) received word that it’s one of only three New York-based MRCs to receive Federal funding in 2022.

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) last week announced the 2022 Medical Reserve Corps Operational Readiness Awards, of which Sullivan qualified to receive $5,000. These awards, made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response’s Medical Reserve Corps Program Office, are intended to build the operational readiness capabilities of MRC units to meet the emergency preparedness and response needs of local, regional and statewide stakeholders.

The MRC program was established to provide a way to recruit, train, and activate medical and public health professionals and other volunteers to respond to community health needs during disasters and other public health emergencies. The Sullivan County MRC has been assisting at COVID-19 vaccination clinics, delivering supplies where needed, and providing critical education to the public.

Just since January of this year, 51 MRC volunteers with Public Health Services have given 183 volunteer hours at 18 community COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Some handled paperwork, others directed participants to the correct location, and those licensed as LPNs, EMTs, RNs or MDs took on medical duties, including administering vaccines (of which Public Health has delivered 17,477 doses since beginning these clinics in 2021).

“They were incredibly helpful with our mass vaccination clinics throughout the pandemic,” Public Health Director Nancy McGraw affirmed, “and we will continue to rely on our MRC volunteers to step up to the plate anytime and anywhere they’re needed. We’ve already scheduled trainings and are exploring additional unique MRC volunteer opportunities for area residents to benefit our communities throughout Sullivan County.”

Nationally, MRC volunteers contributed approximately 840,000 hours of service, resulting in a workforce savings of nearly $24 million. Currently, the MRC reports approximately 3 million volunteer hours to support COVID-19 local response efforts, and the numbers continue to grow.

Sullivan’s MRC – which officially formed in October of last year – joins Putnam and Schuyler counties’ MRCs in receiving funding from the Federal level.

For more information or to join the MRC, visit https://sullivanny.us/Departments/Publichealth/clinicvolunteer or email MRC Coordinator Shannon Hornbeck at VolunteerMRC@sullivanny.us.

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