Emergency Preparedness

Volunteers are recruited and trained to operate emergency clinics in order to administer medications or immunizations to large numbers of people very quickly. For more information about becoming an emergency response volunteer visit http://thanvolunteer.health.state.tn.us/VolunteerMobilize.

The Rutherford County Health Department works in conjunction with the State of Tennessee Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and the rest of the Tennessee Department of Health to strengthen public health, emergency preparedness and response, and community resiliency. The TN Department of Health’s Emergency Preparedness (EP) program is the statewide point-of-contact supporting the Regional Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and Emergency Volunteer Programs.

Major emergencies and disasters involving disease or injury to large numbers of people can overwhelm full-time emergency response, hospital, and other health care personnel within the first 12 to 72 hours. Volunteers can provide an important "surge" capacity during these critical early hours supplementing medical and health personnel shortages, or function as support personnel. The MRC helps fill gaps in services with volunteers who've been organized, trained, and assigned to assist where their expertise is best applied.

You do not have to have medical training to be a volunteer! If you are interested in being a volunteer for the TN Medical Reserve Corps, you can register here.