Berkshire Medical Reserve Corps
The Berkshire MRC is committed to serving all of Berkshire County.s 32 communities, 16 Emergency Dispensing Sites, and three hospitals in the event of a Public Health emergency.
To achieve this goal, MRC volunteers are organized into teams by community, by EDS (each town has at least one or is partnering with neighboring towns to share one), and by local hospital. A MRC Team Leader from each town identifies potential MRC volunteers; BCBOHA then registers, credentials, and trains these people to respond to emergencies and function as part of their local emergency preparedness teams. The Berkshire MRC supplements existing emergency and public health resources and agencies such as Red Cross, fire, police, boards of health, and ambulance services.
MRC volunteers include medical and public health professionals such as physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, veterinarians, and epidemiologists. Retired or part-time medical professionals with or without a current license are especially valuable. For each medical professional, our MRC needs at least five supporting team members who can direct traffic, drive trucks, or register people; interpreters, chaplains, office workers, legal advisers, and others can fill key support positions. There is a place in the Berkshire MRC for all interested volunteers, including those who are already active in Citizen Emergency Response Teams (CERTs).
As a volunteer, you are welcome to customize your level of activity and be notified of every training and response situation throughout the county, or only be called up during a surge.
Additionally, the four counties of Western Massachusetts have formed a Western Mass Medical Reserve Corps website to standardize registration, credentialing, and training. You can soon visit us at www.wmmrc.org. For information about the MRC on the state or national level, click here.
Berkshire MRC Co-Director: Sandra Martin, (413) 528-6132 or Email Sandra.
Berkshire MRC Co-Director: Amy Carey (413) 441-9060 or Email Amy.
Berkshire MRC Assistant Coordinator: Candida Cooper, (413) 464-0273 or Email Candi.
