# Presentation: 681962

## Medical
Reserve
Corps

State 
Of
California

**Medical**
**Reserve**
**Corps**
**State **
**Of**
**California**

## California, 
Working with Federal Partners to
Capture a Vast Medical Personnel Resource

**California, **
**Working with Federal Partners to**
**Capture a Vast Medical Personnel Resource**

**Notes:**
California, working with federal partners to capture the local untapped medical resource in its disaster preparedness efforts. 

## California is a BIG State

-   34 Million People
-   Over 50 Languages
-   156,000 Square Miles
-   Almost 1000 Miles in Length
-   58 Counties
-   From Extremely Populated to Actual Frontier

**Notes:**
34 Million People 
Over 50 Languages
156,000 Square Miles
varying from extreme desert to rainy/foggy coasts
Below sea level & 120 degrees to over 12,000 feet, snowy, mountainous terrain
Almost 1000 Miles in Length
Takes about 15 hours to drive from one end of the state to the other
58 Counties
Extremely Populous cities to Actual Frontier
LA is the second largest city in the country 
Some counties are classified as almost completely frontier 

## Slide 4

**Notes:**
And its has had its share of disasters

## California (America’s Multi-Hazard	Disaster Theme Park)

- Earthquakes    	Fires
- Floods    		Mudslides
- Riots      		Volcanoes
- Tsunamis 	Terrorism

- California

**Notes:**
In fact, most non-Californians probably think of California as a kind of Disaster Theme Park

With  all the practice we’ve had over the years, you’d think we’d finally get a handle on coordinating the state’s disaster response. 

And we have, or we are getting there anyway

## Cooperation & Coordination
State-Coordinated
SEMS  
NIMS

- State-Coordinated
- SEMS
- NIMS

**Notes:**
Because of its geographic vastness & social diversity  
It’s imperative that California has some kind of coordination in its emergency response through all jurisdictions
From lessons learned during past disasters
A state-coordinated response system is essential
For example, during the 1991 Oakland Hills Fire 
Even the fire hoses of different jurisdictions couldn’t connect with the water sources
As a direct result of the Oakland Hills Fire, 
New state statute took effect in September 1994 
This established California’s Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS)
By law, all jurisdictions must function under this system if they want state disaster reimbursement 
SEMS is almost identical to the soon to be in effect federal system, the National Incident Management System (NIMS)

## HHS OSG MRC Demo Grants

- “A Ha”
- Initiate SEMS Concept
- HBPP CDC/HRSA Grant
- Increase Surge Capacity
- Create a State MRC Network
- Encourage MRC Development
- Capture “SUVs” prior to event

**Notes:**
In 2002 when the national office came out with the MRC Demonstration grants CA thought “aha” we’ll get these groups started along the correct path right from day one. 
Get them working under SEMs
Coordination & standardization of the MRCs was then integrated into the state’s goals for Priority Area #2 (Surge Capacity) in its HRSA grant in 2003
Wanted to establish a state network of MRCs
Wanted to ease the way for increased development of MRCs across the state
This could lessen the sometimes disruptive impact of spontaneous unaffiliated volunteers 

## Collaborating State Departments

**GO SERV**  CA Governor’s Office on Service
- 	and Volunteerism  www.goserv.ca.gov
**EMSA / DMS****  **CA Emergency Medical Services Authority  Disaster Medical Services Division www.emsa.ca.gov

**Notes:**
Being a component of Citizen Corps, MRC grant Single Point of Contact oversight was first given to GOSERV. 
Because of its medical focus, EMSA agreed to collaborate with GOSERV in the initial SPOC oversight of the program
Now more a function of EMSA due to CDC/HRSA BT Grant 

## California MRCs

-   2002  - Three Demonstration Grant   				Recipients
-   2003  -  Nine additional Grant Recipients
-   2004  -  20 MRCs registered with the 			State & actively participating 			in state coordination efforts

**Notes:**
In 2002 – There were three demonstration grant recipients
Followed in 2003 by nine more
By January 2004, we had a total of 20 units connected into the statewide coordination efforts meeting and monthly via teleconference

## California MRCs

- Unit Membership Up to 600+
- LA & San Francisco Bay Areas
- Southern Desert Counties
- One in High Sierra
- One in Central Valley (Fresno)

**Notes:**
Individual unit membership numbers between one coordinator in a couple units to well over 600.
Los Angeles County & San Francisco Bay areas are the most represented
Several also in the southern desert region of the state
One is in the high Sierra in Truckee, CA, near Reno
One is in central part of state in the city of Fresno, which has a very active Citizen Corps Unit.
An additional one is developing in the central valley in the city of Stockton
Need more representation in the central valley and especially the more frontier counties in northern CA

## Different Ways CA MRCs Fit into Local Disaster Plans

- Augment First Responders
- Increase Surge Capacity
- Assist in Evacuation of Stabilized Casualties
- Provide Mental Health Intervention
- Address Special-Needs Population Issues

**Notes:**
There are varied missions of the 20 CA MRCs
Most are setting up to assist first responders
Generally increasing surge capacity by providing staff for alternate treatment sites, e.g. monitoring patients at SNFs & clinics, etc. 
Assist in the evacuation of stabilized casualties
Many provide a degree of mental health support but one unit is made up of disaster psychologists and focuses on intervention techniques for the psychological casualties of disasters
Address & assist the special-needs population

## Different Ways CA MRCs Fit into Local Disaster Plans (cont)

- Public Health Initiatives / Education
- Assist in Mass Prophylaxis Efforts
- Logistical Support to Healthcare Professionals
- Provide Welfare Status- Checks
- Manage SUVs

**Notes:**
Provide public health education
Put on flu clinics, assist in mass prophylaxis efforts
Some provide ancillary/ logistic support only 
e.g. dependent care for first responders families
Welfare status-checks in the home
Manage SUVs Spontaneous Unaffiliated Volunteers

## Benefits of Statewide Coordination

- Work on Same Page
- Collaboration Between Units
- Use of “Best Practices”
- Streamline MRC Establishment
- Increase Number of Units
- Development of Professional Registry
- Increase Surge Capacity
- Harness SUVs

**Notes:**
Benefits of Statewide Coordination 
Allows for the establishment of SEMS in the volunteer community
& thereby getting volunteers on the same page as other disaster workers
Allows for collaboration and problem solving between units via the monthly teleconference & e-mail lists
Will allow for creation of “MRC for Dummies Manual” by using techniques & best practices from other local units
Manual will allow for streamlining MRC establishment & therefore increase number
Ultimately can develop a statewide volunteer registry
Importance of harnessing spontaneous unaffiliated volunteers by getting them pre-registered into a unit
As seen in southland fires of this past fall

## Where We’re Going

- Statewide Registry
- Statewide Credentialing
- Definitive State Malpractice Protection
- State Disaster Legislation
- Statewide Templates
- Non-English Language Resource Interpretation

**Notes:**
Where we’re going:
Statewide Volunteer Registry 
Statewide Credentialing
Definitive State Malpractice & Liability Protection
State Disaster Legislation
Statewide Templates
Unit collaboration on non-English materials & resource interpretation

##  			Medical 
  Reserve     Corps 		    of 
 				California

-   Reserve     Corps 		    of
-  				California

## Sherrill Reed, RN CA MRC State CoordinatorCA Emergency Medical Services Authority1930 9th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814916-322-4336sherrill.reed@emsa.ca.gov

- Thank You