The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the voice of the country’s nearly 3,000 local health departments, recently announced a second round of funding in the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) COVID-19 Respond, Innovate, Sustain, and Equip (RISE) Awards. Cherokee County is pleased to report that they received $25,000 Tier 1 Award though this last round of funding to assist in their Medical Reserve Corps efforts, specifically to help support COVID -19 response efforts at the local, regional, or state levels. Kayla Mayer, Cherokee County Public Health Manager, spearheads the MRC program.
“We were excited to receive this additional funding to bolster our Medical Reserve Corp program in Cherokee County,” said Mayer. “Our top priority is to strengthen readiness to respond to emergencies in Cherokee County and the surrounding area. The grant will allow us to enhance our recruitment efforts and provide additional resources to our existing MRC unit.”
These awards, made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response’s Medical Reserve Corps Program Office, will provide resources to the MRC network to support COVID-19 response efforts. Awards totaling $3,425,000 will support 73 local units and state MRC coordinators to build the capacity for the MRC to respond, innovate to evolving requirements, sustain staffing, and equip units with resources needed to support their missions. This is in addition to the $9.5 million awarded through the first round of RISE Awards earlier this year.
The MRC is a national network of volunteers, organized locally to improve the health and safety of their communities. The MRC network comprises approximately 200,000 volunteers in roughly 800 community-based units located throughout the United States and its territories. In COVID-19 response alone, from March 2020 through March 2022, MRC volunteers contributed approximately 3.8 million hours of service, resulting in a workforce savings of $132 million.
The Cherokee County MRC is continuously seeking medically and non-medically trained volunteers for Cherokee County unit of the national disaster relief organization. “Our volunteers work hard to improve the health and safety of the community and state”, explained Mayer. “We aim to provide an engaging volunteer experience while providing the necessary training to our volunteers so they will have the appropriate skills to assist during a disaster or public health emergency, along with supporting non-emergent public health efforts to improve the everyday wellbeing of our community.”
Those interested in volunteering are encouraged to apply. Potential Cherokee County Medical Reserve Corps volunteers may fill out the application available online at cherokeermc.org. Interested parties may also contact Kayla Mayer at Cherokee County Public Health by calling (712) 225-2129.