After the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, thousands of active and retired medical and mental health professionals wanted to assist with the response and recovery efforts, yet there was no formal system to organize their efforts. The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) was created as an integral part of the Citizen Corps Program in response to this outpouring of support from the medical and mental health community, and as a way to engage citizens in everyday public health issues in their communities.

California has a growing number of very distinctive and unique MRC programs operating in diverse communities throughout the state.  The MRC program activities can range from enlisting practicing and retired physicians, nurses and other health professionals for response to major disasters and emergencies to enlisting volunteers for chronic public health needs such as immunizations, health screenings, and health and nutrition education.

Communities are responsible for developing their own Medical Reserve Corps units and identifying MRC volunteer duties. Volunteers' skills are coordinated to address their community's ongoing public health needs and to help their community in the event of an emergency situation. The MRC unit will determine, in conjunction with their local officials and Citizen Corps Council, if and when the community Medical Reserve Corps is activated during an emergency.

Additional MRC Information:

To locate a Medical Reserve Corps in your area, please visit Medical Reserve Corps’ national site.

For Medical Reserve Corps related resources, please visit our Resource Center.

To find or post a Medical Reserve Corps training or event in California, please visit our Trainings & Events page.