For Immediate Release:
Housatonic Valley MRC Awarded a $10,000 Medical Reserve Corps Operational Readiness Award by the National Association of County and City Health Officials. Housatonic Valley MRC (HVMRC) is the recipient of a 2022 Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Operational Readiness Award given by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). NACCHO represents the country’s nearly 3,000 local health departments.
HVMRC will use this ORA Award to ensure standardization of medical and non-medical volunteers and all volunteers. These awards, made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response’s Medical Reserve Corps Program Office, will build the operational readiness capabilities of MRC units to meet the emergency preparedness and response needs of local, regional, and statewide stakeholders. More than $1 million in awards will support 129 units to build MRC response capabilities (Tier 1) or strengthen MRC response capabilities (Tier 2). Housatonic Valley Medical Reserve Corps received a Tier 2 award.
Megan McClintock, the Public Health Preparedness Coordinator and MRC Unit Leader for HVMRC noted “Housatonic Valley Medical Reserve Corps is honored to receive this award to assist in the call for COVID 19 assistance. Our volunteers have worked hundreds of hours to ensure the needs of the community, such as testing or vaccinations, have been met. This award will not only push us forward in our efforts, but empower us to keep moving forward, no matter how hard the days may be.”
Housatonic Valley MRC (HVMRC) has played a vital role in this Region’s COVID-19 response, vaccinating thousands of adults and children against while assisting with contact tracing efforts.
Lisa Morrissey, Director of Health for Housatonic Valley Health District, stated that “Our community’s volunteers have been instrumental in the success of our COVID-19 vaccination and testing clinics. This grant award represents not only an opportunity to continue our COVID-19 efforts but is also an acknowledgment of the dedication and hard work of our volunteers.”
The MRC is a national network of volunteers, organized locally to improve the health and safety of their communities. The MRC network comprises approximately 200,000 volunteers in roughly 800 community-based units located throughout the United States and its territories. According to the 2020 Network Profile of the Medical Reserve Corps, Operational Readiness Awards were the largest funding source for 29% of units that year.
To learn more about the Housatonic Valley MRC and to find out more about becoming a volunteer, visit www.hvhd.us/emergency-preparedness/medical-reserve-corps/ or call 203-264-9616.
The Housatonic Valley Health District serves New Milford, Oxford, Southbury, Washington, and Woodbury. The Housatonic Valley Health District’s mission is to create better health outcomes and promote the highest attainable standard of health. It accomplishes this through three principles: prevention, education, and outreach. HVHD prevents disease, injury, and disability for its communities through regular inspections of public and private businesses and homes to ensure conditions exist where people can be healthy. HVHD uses education to inform the public and health practitioners on public health best practices, policy information, and the impacts and methods of prevention for the spread of communicable diseases. HVHD conducts outreach to engage their communities that experience obstacles in accessing the public health services they need, deliver vaccines to the community, and advocate for needed and beneficial health policies. For more information about the Housatonic Valley Health District, call (203) 264-9616Housatonic Valley Health District will be offering 2 hour sessions to learn more about promoting positive mental health and combating feelings of anxiety, stress and loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To attend this program virtually, join the Housatonic Valley Health District on May 12th from 3:00 - 5:00 pm.
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The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation's nearly 3,000 local governmental health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.
