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New York City Medical Reserve Corps

The New York City Medical Reserve Corps (NYC MRC) is a trained group of over 13,000 volunteers ready to respond to health emergencies. New members are welcome.

Learn how you can be a local hero by volunteering for NYC MRC (PDF).

The NYC MRC is made up of highly skilled health professionals who improve the health and safety of their communities every day and in times of emergency. Since its inception in 2004, the NYC MRC has served as a valuable resource to strengthen community health, build community resiliency and improve the city’s ability to respond to emergencies.

Response and Initiatives

The NYC MRC rapidly mobilizes and deploys volunteers for emergency response operations as well as for non-emergency public health or community resilience activities. Volunteers represent a variety of health disciplines and are selected for assignments based on many criteria, such as their discipline, languages spoken and home address.

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Public Health Initiatives

NYC MRC volunteers support everyday public health initiatives in NYC. Past and current initiatives include:

  • Fentanyl overdose prevention outreach to underserved communities throughout NYC
  • Helping nursing home facility staff become “flu fighters” to prevent the spread of flu
  • Training dialysis center staff to educate patients on how to prepare for emergencies
  • Delivering mental health support services to community members at Mayoral Town Halls
  • Participating in events to vaccinate NYC pets for rabies
  • Conducting surveillance activities on ticks and other disease vectors

Emergency Response

NYC MRC volunteers participate as essential responders during emergencies. Past and current emergencies include:

Coverage and Benefits

NYC MRC volunteers have limited workers compensation coverage and are covered under 50-k of the General Municipal Law, which provides protection for any “volunteer expressly authorized to participate in a city sponsored volunteer program." For more information, see the NYC MRC brochure (PDF).

Get Involved

Request Volunteers

If you would like to request MRC volunteers to help with surge staffing needs, fill out the MRC volunteer request form.

Additional Resources