Looking to volunteer in your community? The City of Bethlehem Medical Reserve Corps is dedicated to organizing and preparing a medically related volunteer base that will serve to assist with emergency services, public health practice, and community outreach and education.
It is through this mission that the City of Bethlehem MRC will assist and collaborate with existing community and public health agencies to effectively use our vital community and medical resources in response to a major natural or manmade disaster.
What is the MRC?
The Medical Reserve Corps is part of the Office of the Surgeon General. MRC units are community-based and are comprised of medical and non-medical volunteers who wish to donate their time, expertise, and energy to promote public health initiatives and to prepare for and respond to emergencies or disasters. Medical Reserve Corps volunteers supplement existing local emergency and public health resources. The City of Bethlehem Medical Reserve Corps was established in 2006 in response to President Bush’s 2002 State of the Union Address, in which he asked all Americans to volunteer in support of their country. The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) provides the structure necessary to deploy medical and nonmedical personnel in response to an emergency, as it identifies specific trained and credentialed personnel available and ready to respond to emergencies. City of Bethlehem MRC volunteers are able to support local response organizations and are trained in advance to assist with disaster or emergency response. Bethlehem MRC volunteers also have the opportunity to participate in public health promotion activities and community events through collaboration with the Bethlehem Health Bureau.
Who can volunteer?
MRC volunteers include medical and public health professionals, such as nurses, physicians, pharmacists, dentists, veterinarians, and public health workers. There are also key support positions in the MRC unit for non-medical or public health professionals, such as chaplains, office workers, legal advisors, interpreters, and others. A medical background is not a requirement to join the Bethlehem MRC. We accept volunteers of all professional backgrounds who have an interest in serving their community and promoting public health initiatives. Youth who are interested in volunteering will be considered based on age, maturity, parental consent, and ultimately at the discretion of the MRC Coordinator.
What can MRC volunteers do?
Volunteers are needed to support public health, while advancing the priorities of the U.S. Surgeon General. Volunteers may have the opportunity to:
- Participate in mass immunizations
- Train with local emergency partners
- Participate in local emergency drills and exercises
- Eliminate health disparities
- Enhance public health preparedness
- Improve health literacy
- Promote disease prevention
- And more…
How do I sign up to volunteer?
If your're interested in joining the City of Bethlehem Medical Reserve Corps please complete the following requirements:
- Complete and submit the MRC application
- Participate in a phone interview with the MRC Coordinator
- Register for SERVPA (serv.pa.gov) *MRC Coordinator can provide instructions on how to select our unit in the SERVPA system
- Attend an orientation session within one year of submitting volunteer application
- Complete FEMA’s IS-100 & IS-700 online trainings and provide MRC Coordinator with copies of the certificates of completion
- Successfully pass a PA Child Abuse History Clearance
- Successfully pass a background check and credentialing (if licensed) verification