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News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Oct. 30, 2003

Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343

HHS Announces More Than $8 Million in Medical Reserve Corps Grants

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced 167 grants, totaling over $8 million to help community-based organizations develop local volunteer medical emergency and public health response capabilities. Among these Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) units located across the U.S., 42 qualified for continuation grants by successfully demonstrating progress during their first year of operation. Today, 125 communities will join this national effort to answer President Bush's call to volunteer service and help make our communities better prepared to respond to emergency and other public health situations.

"After September 11, Americans were asking, 'What can I do to help?' The Medical Reserve Corps gives them a way they can help out in their local communities," Secretary Thompson said. "These awards will continue to support our communities in planning and establishing local, citizen-centered volunteer MRC units, which will include physicians, nurses and others with a broad range of skills in health and other support fields."

MRC units are comprised of local, citizen volunteers who are trained to respond to health and medical situations in support of established, local public health and emergency medical response systems. Volunteers' responsibilities may include emergency medical care and triage, logistic or backup support for trauma units and hospitals in the event of a disaster, immunization campaigns, and public health awareness efforts.

"Communities depend on the experience, knowledge and skills of medical professionals during times of disaster and emergency situations," said USA Freedom Corps Director John Bridgeland. "With the help of these grants, communities will be able to strengthen new and existing Medical Reserve Corps units nationwide and coordinate the skills of health care professionals in order to better mobilize volunteers in times of need."

"By strengthening communities' response systems we are improving the overall health care infrastructure of the nation," Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona said. "We know that in times of disaster the local community members will be the first to respond and the last to leave. We want to make sure that they have the resources, training and equipment they need to help out when help is needed."

In the program's first year, MRC units have begun to establish the infrastructure necessary for medical and health volunteer utilization. In addition to strengthening their communities' abilities to respond to terrorist activities and to other natural disasters, a number of MRC units have made substantial efforts to strengthen local public health capabilities.

Medical Reserve Corps, a component of Citizen Corps, will coordinate the skills of physicians, nurses, health professionals and others who are willing to volunteer and help out during emergencies and other times of community need. Citizen Corps was launched in January 2002 as part of President Bush's USA Freedom Corps to foster a culture of service, citizenship and responsibility and help all Americans find ways to answer the President's call to service. Through a network of Citizen Corps Councils at the state and local levels, Citizen Corps brings together leaders from law enforcement, fire, emergency medical and emergency management, local government, volunteer organizations and the private sector to engage citizens in homeland security efforts and strengthen programs such as Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS), Neighborhood Watch, Medical Reserve Corps and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training.

The Medical Reserve Corps program is headquartered in the Office of the Surgeon General, which administers the grant funds and offers technical assistance to all MRC communities. For more information visit our web site at www.medicalreservecorps.gov or call (301) 443-4000.

2003 New Grantees

City

State

Amount

Yavapai County

Prescott

AZ

$50,000.00

Volunteer Center of Riverside County

Riverside

CA

$50,000.00

San Bernardino County Medical Society

Colton

CA

$50,000.00

Sacramento Dist. Advisory Board Church of the Nazarene

Truckee

CA

$50,000.00

Public Health Foundation Enterprises Inc.

City of Industry

CA

$50,000.00

Palo Alto Institute for Research & Education

Menlo Park

CA

$50,000.00

County of Sonoma, Department of Health Services

Santa Rosa

CA

$50,000.00

County of San Diego

San Diego

CA

$50,000.00

City of Cupertino

Cupertino

CA

$50,000.00

Beach Cities Health District

Redondo Beach

CA

$50,000.00

El Paso County Physicians Foundation

Colorado Springs

CO

$49,715.00

City of Middletown

Middletown

CT

$50,000.00

City of Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford

CT

$50,000.00

Medical Society and Alliance Foundation

Washington

DC

$50,000.00

Christiana Care Health Services

Wilmington

DE

$50,000.00

Monroe County Department of Health

Key West

FL

$50,000.00

Palm Beach County Medical Society Services, Inc.

West Palm Beach

FL

$50,000.00

Lake County Health Department - Florida Dept. of Health

Tavares

FL

$46,008.00

Escambia County Health Department

Pensacola

FL

$50,000.00

Duval County Health Department

Jacksonville

FL

$50,000.00

Collier County Health Department

Naples

FL

$50,000.00

City of Orlando

Orlando

FL

$50,000.00

Troup County Board of Health/District Four Health Services

LaGrange

GA

$50,000.00

East Metro Health District

Lawrenceville

GA

$50,000.00

East Central Health District VI

Augusta

GA

$50,000.00

Linn County Emergency Management Agency

Cedar Rapids

IA

$50,000.00

Panhandle Health District 1

Coeur d'Alene

ID

$50,000.00

Village of Palatine

Palatine

IL

$49,804.00

Village of Arlington Heights

Arlington Heights

IL

$15,963.00

Springfield Department of Public Health

Springfield

IL

$50,000.00

McHenry County Department of Health

Woodstock

IL

$50,000.00

Lake County Health Department

Waukegan

IL

$50,000.00

DuPage County Health Department

Wheaton

IL

$50,000.00

Douglas County Health Dept.

Tuscola

IL

$14,000.00

Purdue University

West Lafayette

IN

$50,000.00

Sedgwick County Department of Health

Wichita

KS

$50,000.00

Reno County Health Department

Hutchinson

KS

$50,000.00

Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department

Lawrence

KS

$50,000.00

Woodford County Health Department

Versailles

KY

$49,875.00

Ashland Boyd County Catlettsburg Medical Reserve Corps Inc.

Ashland

KY

$48,796.00

City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge

LA

$50,000.00

Town of Westford

Westford

MA

$50,000.00

Town of Amherst

Amherst

MA

$50,000.00

Franklin Regional Council of Governments

Greenfield

MA

$50,000.00

Falmouth Hospital

Falmouth

MA

$50,000.00

City of Haverhill

Haverhill

MA

$50,000.00

City of Easthampton

Easthampton

MA

$25,000.00

Brookline Department of Public Health

Brookline

MA

$22,000.00

Boston Public Health Commission

Boston

MA

$50,000.00

Volunteer Frederick Inc.

Frederick

MD

$50,000.00

Montgomery County Volunteer Center

Rockville

MD

$50,000.00

Maryland Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene

Baltimore

MD

$50,000.00

Baltimore City Fire Department

Baltimore

MD

$50,000.00

Eastern Maine Healthcare

Bangor

ME

$48,668.00

United Way of Montcalm

Greenville

MI

$50,000.00

Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital

Manistique

MI

$50,000.00

Newaygo County Community Services

Fremont

MI

$50,000.00

Kent County Emergency Medical Services, Inc.

Grand Rapids

MI

$49,898.00

Ingham County

Mason

MI

$49,126.00

Steele County Public Health Nursing Service

Owatonna

MN

$47,994.00

City of Columbia

Columbia

MO

$50,000.00

A.T. Still University of Health Sciences

Kirksville

MO

$50,000.00

North Mississippi Medical Center

Tupelo

MS

$47,300.00

Greenwood

Jackson

MS

$49,440.00

Lewis & Clark City-County Health Department

Helena

MT

$50,000.00

Orange County Health Department

Hillsborough

NC

$50,000.00

Onslow County, NC Dept. of Emergency Services

Jacksonville

NC

$50,000.00

MooreHealth, Inc.

Pinehurst

NC

$49,400.00

Chatham Family Resource Center

Siler City

NC

$50,000.00

Buncombe County

Asheville

NC

$50,000.00

United Way of the Midlands

Omaha

NE

$49,948.00

North Country Health Consortium

Littleton

NH

$50,000.00

Greater Derry Community Health Services, Inc.

Derry

NH

$45,989.00

City of Nashua

Nashua

NH

$50,000.00

Township of Manalapan

Manalapan

NJ

$50,000.00

Town of Harrison

Harrison

NJ

$26,285.00

Somerset County

Somerville

NJ

$50,000.00

Hudson Regional Health Commission

Secaucus

NJ

$50,000.00

University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center

Albuquerque

NM

$50,000.00

Yates County Public Health

Penn Yan

NY

$50,000.00

Westchester County

White Plains

NY

$50,000.00

Tioga County Health Department

Owego

NY

$50,000.00

Onondaga-Oswego American Red Cross

Syracuse

NY

$50,000.00

NYU Hospitals Center

New York

NY

$50,000.00

County of Erie

Buffalo

NY

$50,000.00

Montgomery County, Combined General Health District

Dayton

OH

$50,000.00

Lucas County Regional Health District

Toledo

OH

$50,000.00

Licking County Health Department

Newark

OH

$50,000.00

Defiance County General Health District

Defiance

OH

$35,000.00

Oklahoma Nurses Association

Oklahoma City

OK

$50,000.00

City of Oklahoma

Oklahoma City

OK

$50,000.00

City of Lawton, Oklahoma

Lawton

OK

$50,000.00

Southern Alleghenies EMS Council, Inc.

Duncansville

PA

$50,000.00

Saint Vincent Health System

Erie

PA

$50,000.00

Sacred Heart Hospital Foundation

Allentown

PA

$50,000.00

Hanover Hospital Inc.

Hanover

PA

$50,000.00

County of Allegheny

Pittsburgh

PA

$50,000.00

Rhode Island Disaster Medical Assistance Team Inc.

Providence

RI

$50,000.00

SC DHEC Appalachia II Health District

Greenville

SC

$50,000.00

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Nashville

TN

$50,000.00

Memphis/Shelby County Health Dept.

Memphis

TN

$50,000.00

University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio

San Antonio

TX

$50,000.00

Tarrant County

Tarrant

TX

$50,000.00

Fannin County Commissioner's Court

Bonham

TX

$40,801.00

Dallas County

Dallas

TX

$50,000.00

Austin/Travis County Health & Human Services Department

Austin

TX

$50,000.00

Bear River Health Department

Logan

UT

$42,909.00

Western Tidewater Health District

Suffolk

VA

$50,000.00

Virginia Department of Health

Marion

VA

$50,000.00

Virginia Department of Health

Roanoke

VA

$50,000.00

University of Virginia

Albemarle

VA

$49,744.00

Southside Health District

Boydton

VA

$50,000.00

Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District, Virginia Dept. of Health

Culpeper

VA

$42,275.00

Rappahannock Area Health District Medical Reserve Corps

Fredericksburg

VA

$45,950.00

Loudoun Health District

Leesburg

VA

$50,000.00

Fairfax County Health Department

Fairfax

VA

$47,000.00

City of Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach

VA

$49,991.00

City of Chesapeake

Chesapeake

VA

$48,820.00

Arlington County Government

Arlington

VA

$50,000.00

Thurston County

Olympia

WA

$50,000.00

Spokane County Medical Society Foundation

Spokane

WA

$50,000.00

Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management

Everett

WA

$50,000.00

West Virginia Region IV Public Health District

Parkersburg

WV

$50,000.00

Pendleton County Board of Health

Franklin

WV

$50,000.00

Hancock County Commission

New Cumberland

WV

$50,000.00

 

Continuing Grantees

City

State

Amount

Department of Health and Human Services

Anchorage

AK

$50,000.00

Tuscon Pima Community

Tuscon

AZ

$50,000.00

Maricopa CO. MRC

Phoenix

AZ

$50,000.00

Morgan Hill MRC

Morgan Hill

CA

$50,000.00

Volunteer MRC for SF

San Francisco

CA

$50,000.00

City of Fresno MRC C

Fresno

CA

$49,546.00

Larimer CO MRC Demo

Fort Collins

CO

$50,000.00

Yale/New Haven Health

Bridgeport

CT

$50,000.00

Development MRC

Dover

DE

$50,000.00

Pasco Coounty

Dade City

FL

$50,000.00

S. Florida Action

Fort Myers

FL

$50,000.00

Broward CO MRC

Fort Lauderdale

FL

$50,000.00

DeKalb MRC

Decatur

GA

$50,000.00

Winnebago MRC Demo

Rockford

IL

$50,000.00

Oak Park MRC

Oak Park

IL

$49,500.00

Tri-CO. MRC

Peoria

IL

$37,524.00

MRC Establishment

Geneva

IL

$50,000.00

Marion County MRC

Indianapolis

IN

$50,000.00

Shawnee County MRC

Topeka

KS

$50,000.00

Lousiville/Jefferson

Louisville

KY

$50,000.00

MRC Demo Project

Shreveport

LA

$50,000.00

Dennis Volunteer MRC

South Dennis

MA

$50,000.00

MRC Development

Great Barrington

MA

$50,000.00

MRC Allegheny County

Cumberland

MD

$50,000.00

Franklin MRC Demo.

Farmington

ME

$50,000.00

Hennepin County MRC

Minneapolis

MN

$50,000.00

Missouri MRC

Kansas City

MO

$50,000.00

Yellowstone County

Billings

MT

$50,000.00

The County of Middlesex

New Brunswick

NJ

$50,000.00

Bayonne MRC

Bayonne

NJ

$49,019.00

Demo Project

Paramus

NJ

$50,000.00

Nevada MRC

Las Vegas

NV

$50,000.00

Northern Metropolitan

Newburgh

NY

$50,000.00

MRC Demo

Binghampton

NY

$50,000.00

MRC Demo

Mineola

NY

$50,000.00

CBO Volunteer MRC

Mt Morris

NY

$50,000.00

MRC of Tulsa

Tulsa

OK

$50,000.00

Development Lane CO.

Eugene

OR

$50,000.00

Multnomah County

Portland

OR

$50,000.00

Thaddeus Stevens College of Techonogy

Lancaster

PA

$50,000.00

Establish MRC

Houston

TX

$50,000.00

SW Vermont MRC Drive

Bennington

VT

$50,000.00

###


Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last Revised: October 30, 2003

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