Partners and Affiliates of the Mystic Valley MRC

The Mystic Valley MRC was formed to serve the communities of Medford, Malden, Melrose, Stoneham, and Wakefield. It was formed in 2005 as a result of a statewide homeland security grant to the department of public health, intended to help communities to develop and maintain local volunteer emergency response organizations. The Mystic Valley MRC's advisory council includes the director of public health from each of our member communities:

The success of the MRC depends in large part on its cooperation with existing agencies including local police, fire, and ambulance services, as well as other first responder organizations including the American Red Cross. Plans are underway to strengthen alliances with these municipal and community service agencies as appropriate. In addition, the MRC depends on cooperation with several national service organizations, including the other arms of the U.S. Citizen Corps and the American Red Cross.

Note that the staff of the MRC is the only group with the authority to contact or dispatch MRC members. Also, any MRC member who belongs to additional organizations such as the Red Cross, Volunteers in Public Service (VIPS), church auxiliaries, or other groups should indicate up front with which organization he or she should be deployed. (For example, hospital employees may have to honor a "first call" to their employers.)

At the beginning of 2006, there were approximately 20 MRC units in Massachusetts, each formed to meet the specific needs of the region it supports. The largest is in Boston, with hundreds of volunteers, including many nursing and pharmacy students from the area's universities and medical colleges. Learn more

The Medical Reserve Corps is a part of the Citizen Corps, which was created by the federal government to coordinate volunteer activities designed to make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to any emergency situation. Multiple branches of the Citizen Corps provide opportunities for people to participate in a range of measures to make their families, their homes, and their communities safer from the threats of crime, terrorism, and disasters of all kinds. Learn more

At the national level, the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and the American Red Cross (ARC) are separate yet cooperative organizations. At the local level, many MRC units enjoy a warm and mutually beneficial relationship with the nearest chapter of the ARC. For example, the ARC often provides disaster training classes to MRC members. Learn more