Volunteering With Us
Emergency preparedness and response is a highly coordinated effort that allows communities to maximize their capabilities during times of extreme disorganization and stress. MRC volunteers may already have specialized knowledge and backgrounds in health-related fields. MRC training focuses primarily on learning local emergency and health procedures, trauma response techniques, use of specialized equipment, and other methods to increase the effectiveness of their volunteers. The most important skill gained from MRC training is how to work as part of a team. A successful MRC unit is familiar with its community’s response plan, knows what materials are available for use, knows its response partners, and knows how to effectively utilize their skills.
MRC Volunteer Information - learn about the Santa Cruz County MRC unit and it's function, roles and responsibilities.
New Volunteer Checklist
- Complete a Personal and Family Preparedness Plan. If you need assistance creating a plan, visit Ready.gov for more resources.
- Register in the Disaster Healthcare Volunteer (DHV) Alert System (see instructions below).
- Obtain a regularly checked email address for DHV alerts and emails from coordinator. If you do not havean email address, you can get a free email account from Google Gmail.
- Complete required trainings:
- Obtain Basic Life Safety (BLS) certification. CLICK HERE for upcoming local classes.
- Upload certificate into DHV system.
- A unit leader will contact you to follow up with your registration.
Please Note: You are not a member of the MRC until after you complete the required on-line trainings, have been contacted by your unit leader and receive an official notification of acceptance.
Disaster Healthcare Volunteer (DHV) Account Information
DHV is a nationwide system intended to recruit, register, and pre-credential health professionals that can be called upon to offer immediate assistance in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. This allows for a centralized source of volunteer information to facilitate Intra-State, State-to-State, and State-to-Federal transfer of volunteer health professionals. Your information is kept private and will never be shared to outside sources.
- Account Creation:
Go to the DHV online registration www.healthcarevolunteers.ca.gov. Click on NOT Registered to start
- Account Registration:
- Contact Information: at least one phone number and one active email account.
- Enter: IS 100, IS 700, IS 800, and BLS Certifications; or any other certifications that will assist in deployment.
- Licensing Information: your credentials will be automatically and regularly verified through the DHV system.
- For “Which County do you wish to be affiliated with?” – SANTA CRUZ COUNTY MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS
- Complete the online registration process and fill in all of the fields marked with a red asterisk. Also, COMPLETELY fill in your Drivers License Information.
Maintaining an Active, Deployable DHV Account:
- Account Completion: This is the responsibility of the volunteer to ensure that account information is correct and 100% up-to-date.
- Account Activity: All DHV accounts with three (3) or more failures to respond are subject to removal.
- Account Alerts: Santa Cruz County MRC Staff will send out quarterly drills to test the DHV response, response is mandatory.
If you have any questions, please contact the Santa Cruz County MRC at: medicalreservecorps@santacruzcounty.us