Medical: Neighborhood Plan

At the Neighborhood Level, the Medical Category is all about Disaster Hubs. Once you launch your Disaster Hub program, you can begin to develop the medical component.

Step 1. Determine if there is already a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) program in your area by clicking here. If there is, reach out to engage their participation in your organization. 

Step 2. If there is not, you will need to build your own in your community. The first step is to recruit volunteers. These may include licensed medical professionals, retired medical professionals, and laypeople. 

Step 3. These volunteers will all need to be trained in Wilderness First Response (WFR), which is more comprehensive than First Aid training and appropriate for in-the-field medical response—even medical doctors will not necessarily know how to respond to medical emergencies in the field. These courses are expensive. You will need to engage in fundraising or grant writing or request funds from your community or county government. The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) provides financial support to MRCs that are registered or in good-standing with the National MRC program, which is sponsored by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

Step 4. Unless your community is located in the wilderness, a hybrid version of WFR is likely more appropriate for your needs. Find a training organization that is willing to design a two-day hybrid version of the course (most courses are five days long) that is specific to the needs of your community (for example, if you don’t have rattlesnakes where you live, spending time on how to treat rattlesnake bites is not necessary). Also, arrange for a group rate; an instructor should come to your community to train your volunteers on site. You can find programs to provide this training, like the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Remote Medical International (RMI), and Wilderness Medical Associates International (WMAI).

Step 5. Work with your local Fire Department, Emergency Manager, and local government attorney to develop a Scope of Practice for your MRC. This document will help ensure that your MRC and volunteers are legally protected when working on a community-approved mission (such as deploying to the Disaster Hubs). 

Step 6. Begin to build your medical supplies to equip your Disaster Hubs. These will be expensive. Look for sales. Also consider partnering with medical supply companies; they can provide your team with discounted supplies and gear in exchange for promoting them to your community for household preparation. You can also arrange for them to donate a percentage of profits to your organization when you drive a sale from your website. Partner with your local Rotary Club or other charitable organization to help you procure supplies or raise funds.

Step 7. Store the medical supplies in the Disaster Hubs or in locked trailers parked on site.

Step 8. Conduct on-site hub practice with your MRC volunteers. Have them practice setting up the medical section of the hub and triaging and treating fake injuries. Keep your team active by getting them to engage in providing first aid support for local events, like community runs or festivals.