Are you looking for a way to give back to the community? Do you feel you have a skill that could help people in times of need?

The Kane County Health Department will be hosting its second Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) orientation meeting, 9:30 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Gail Borden Library, 270 N Grove Ave, Elgin. The first orientation was held last month in Aurora. The October meeting is being held in Elgin to allow residents in the northern areas of Kane County to volunteer for the MRC.

MRC volunteers include community members, medical and public health professionals, such as physicians, nurses, dentists, veterinarians, interpreters, chaplains, office workers, retail salespersons and many more. ANYONE can volunteer!

The need for a national Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) became apparent after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when thousands volunteered in support of emergency relief activities, and found that there was no organized approach to channel their efforts. Local responders were already overwhelmed and did not have a way to identify and manage these spontaneous volunteers, and many highly skilled people were turned away.

As a result, the MRC was established to provide a way to recruit, train, and activate volunteers. Recent events around the country continue to remind us of the need for trained, organized volunteers to rapidly respond to incidents.

Today, the Medical Reserve Corps is a national network of local groups of volunteers committed to improving the health, safety, and resiliency of their communities. MRC units successfully identify, screen, train and organize volunteers and utilize them to support routine public health activities and augment preparedness and response efforts.

The MRC is more than a collection of people looking for ways to give back and volunteer their time to make a difference in their communities. It is a gathering of people across the county, each with specific skills, training and experience that makes them an invaluable public health resource.

More information about the MRC is available by visiting mrc.hhs.gov/HomePage and kanehealth.com/medical_reserves.htm

If you are interested in volunteering or learning more about the Medical Reserve Corps in your community, please RSVP to Claudia Reginato at reginatocladia@co.kane.il.us  and feel free to invite other members of the community who might be interested.

We hope to see you there!