Erin Fogarty, Health Education and Marketing Director at the LCHD/WJEZ file photo

By Neil Doyle

Residents in Livingston County have a unique opportunity to lend a helping hand during the time of a crisis.

The Medical Reserve Corps, or MRC, is a network of volunteers who are on call for service during emergencies. Erin Fogarty, the Director of Health Education and Marketing for the Livingston County Public Health Department, says that the MRC has never been activated in Livingston County. There is a cooperative agreement, however, between Livingston and McLean counties, and that the McLean County MRC was activated during the H1N1 crisis.

Fogarty says that the benefits of MRC membership are largely intangible, but she adds that if a crisis should occur, participants and their families will receive services first so that they can provide services to others.

“This is a great way for people to get that satisfaction of knowing they’re volunteering and helping their community, while also knowing that during a time of emergency they can keep themselves and their families healthy and safe.”

Fogarty says a wide variety of skills are needed in the MRC, and that medical experience is not required.

More information about becoming a Medical Reserve Corps volunteer can be found at lchd.us. WJEZ’s complete conversation with Erin Fogarty is available on the WJEZ podcasts page. Click the link in the main menu bar at the top of the page.