MRC STTRONG Grants
ASPR Awards $50 Million from the American Rescue Plan to 33 States or Jurisdictions
Thirty-three awardees in states and jurisdictions across the country have just received a total of $50 million under the MRC State, Territory and Tribal Nations, Representative Organizations for Next Generation (MRC-STTRONG) grant program. Funding for the first-ever MRC-STTRONG is from the American Rescue Plan.
States and jurisdictions will use these funds to strengthen the MRC network – focusing on emergency preparedness, response, and health equity needs. The awardees have all proposed projects that will bolster community response capabilities around the nation, building on the invaluable role that the MRC played during our fight against COVID-19.
$2 million
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) will utilize the funds to increase the number of volunteers across the state by 25%, and to expand MRC units by establishing six MRC units including three new units in tribal jurisdictions.
$575,000
Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) will utilize the funds to expand the number of MRC units statewide from five units to 14 units to help ensure that all regions of the state have MRC units. Additionally, ADH will provide equipment and training for new units so that they have the resources and capabilities to respond to public health emergencies and disasters.
$969,140
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) will build and strengthen the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) units in Colorado communities by providing funding for the MRC unit coordinators and the purchase of supplies so that MRC units are prepared for public health emergencies, such as a disease outbreaks and natural disasters.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
$1.7 million
The Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation (CHCC) will utilize the funds to expand community partnerships with a focus on those that address health disparities, access and functional needs, and other at- risk populations. CHCC will engage partners and communities on assessments, outreach, recruitment and volunteer planning.
$2.1 million
The Georgia Medical Reserve Corps will utilize this funding to upgrade, advance, and reconstitute the recruitment of new MRC members and sustain existing skilled volunteers statewide. This will be accomplished by increasing skills through training for volunteers and expanding a mentorship program.
$376,287
The Hawaii Department of Health will utilize MRC-STTRONG funds to build preparedness and response capacity throughout the state by providing education, training, and outreach to community members. Additionally, MRC will increase capacity through volunteer recruitment and build teams based on preparedness and response focus areas.
$2 million
The MRC of Illinois in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Public Health will use the funding to strengthen MRC’s capacity to response by developing and implementing standardized training, grow and develop 4 new MRC units throughout the state in areas with greatest need and offer subawards to 50 MRC units in Illinois.
$1,658,644
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) will utilize the funds to provide a robust volunteer management platform for local units, fund a full-time MRC state coordinator to support local units, and refine local plans based on best practices and successes.
$2.25 million
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) will utilize the funding to increase overall capacity of Kentucky’s MRC program to ensure long-term sustainability. This will be done by increasing recruitment and retention and strengthening the skills through innovative training and exercises.
$2 million
The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) will use the funding to improve MRC readiness and capacity. MDH will accomplish this by volunteer recruitment and retention through targeted outreach to communities, inclusion of MRC response in existing response plans and implementation of regional training and exercises that are accessible to volunteers statewide.
$838,680
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health will use the funding to improve volunteer coordination and response capacity across the state by building a collaborative, comprehensive training program for both leaders and volunteers; developing recruitment and retention strategies and materials to strengthen MRC capacity. These activities will ensure that MRC units can meet the ongoing needs of the diverse communities, residents, and organizations across Massachusetts.
$733,701
The Michigan Department of Health will utilize this funding to standardize background checks statewide, make available training across the state, and expand recruitment and volunteer management at the unit level.
$2.44 million
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will utilize this funding to expand the disaster response and recovery capacity of Minnesota’s MRC units and the volunteer management system called MN Responds. Additionally, MDH will update existing and develop new training materials to support the operational needs of the MRC units. Through this funding, local MRC units will be able to support recruitment, training and exercises.
$1.4 million
The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) will use the funding for projects focusing on health emergency preparedness, response and health equity needs. They will strengthen the capacity of existing MRC units and build new MRC units in regions of the state with underserved populations. Additionally, SEMA will expand public health and related workforce development and recruitment efforts.
$1,239,080
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS) will use this funding to implement a volunteer training program, conduct exercises for medical surge and survivor and family assistance center planning. Additionally, DHSS will implement an N-95 fit testing program to ensure that MRC volunteers are protected when providing patient care.
$1.5 Million
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) will use the funds to expand recruitment of volunteers, standardize core training curriculum for MRC volunteers, and provide funding to local MRC units to purchase equipment and supplies to strengthen preparedness and response capabilities.
$750,000
The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) will use the funding to support current MRC unit leaders, expand services to less populated rural areas of the state, and extend services to frontier and tribal communities. Additionally, this funding will be used for training and equipment to better serve communities throughout the state.
$1.5 million
The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and Health Research, Inc. (HRI) will use the funding to enhance the state’s existing system for volunteer registration and verification of credentialing medical professionals. In addition, they will provide existing MRC units with support for centralized background checks, building surge capacity and recruitment for long-term MRC growth and sustainability.
$1.8 million
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) will use the funding to recruit and retain volunteers for North Carolina’s MRC units, develop standardized training requirements, and provide psychological first aide and improved mental health resiliency for state medical response system staff.
$ 2.5 million
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) will utilize MRC-STTRONG funds to strengthen the state MRC program through the development of a pipeline of volunteers and specialist occupations, investment in data modernization for the state's volunteer management registry, and bolstering partner and volunteer engagement by enhancing existing skills. Training will include equipping local volunteers with community-informed interventions to support at-risk populations and providing opportunities for volunteer network-building.
$1.2 million
The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) will use MRC-STTRONG funds strengthen MRC statewide capacity and capabilities, and equip MRC units with the necessary supplies, resources, and training to best serve their local communities. OSDH will make subgrants available to local MRC units to carry out MRC-STTRONG goals of supporting activities in underserved areas and populations with a focus on addressing the needs of at-risk individuals and areas impacted by more frequent or more severe disasters related to climate change.
$2.5 million
The Oregon Health Authority will use the funding build a collaborative project management system to advance volunteer and MRC Coordinator readiness. As MRC units shift their focus from continued response into recovery and long-term volunteer engagement, there is a significant need for responder outreach and development, community outreach and education, and recovery initiatives. This innovative project serves sustainable tool to resolve serious issues that under-resourced units face, as well as increase opportunities for volunteers to engage with and prepare the communities where they live and work.
$2 million
The Pennsylvania Department of Health will use the funding to recruit and develop new MRC units in underserved areas where no MRC units exist. These funds will increase training and development opportunities and provide supplies for MRC units to ensure Pennsylvania’s MRC capabilities and responses are ready for new and evolving situations.
$1,392,644
The Puerto Rico Department of Health will utilize MRC-STTRONG funds to continue providing leadership and necessary resources for volunteer recruitment, increase partnerships, and strengthen emergency response capabilities. Specifically, project activities will focus on supporting underserved areas and populations; addressing the needs of at-risk individuals; serving areas impacted by more frequent and or more severe disasters related to climate change; and expanding MRC of Puerto Rico capabilities through volunteer recruitment and specialized training.
$2.2 million
The Rhode Island Disaster Medical Assistance Team will utilize MRC-STTRONG funds to provide a collaborative regional training center accessible to all learners in conjunction with increased mobile education and emergency medical response capacities that support community healthcare initiatives and enhance Rhode Island's ability to respond to emergencies and public health crises. The funding will also develop the units' emergency response and public healthcare capacity through medical equipment and mobile asset modernization and focus on culturally competent recruitment and retention of MRC volunteers.
$1.5 million
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control will use the funding to build efforts to increase preparedness levels of persons with access and functional needs and other disproportionately impacted populations during natural or technological disasters as well as core public health emergencies. DHEC will also grow MRC units’ capacity to support potassium iodide (KI) distribution following nuclear emergencies.
$1.5 million
The Texas Department of Health Services (DSHS) will utilize MRC-STTRONG funds to address gaps in volunteer management processes identified in the agency after action reviews from the COVID-19. DSHS will enhance and streamline the registration process and improve the overall functionality of the volunteer management portal and provide funding to the local MRC units to support staffing, training, recruitment, and community outreach efforts.
$1.65 million
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services will utilize MRC-STTRONG funds to strengthen the overall readiness of MRC volunteers across the state of Utah. Statewide activities will focus on identifying new opportunities to engage with existing partners to promote the MRC, working with MRC to engage with large health systems, as well as providing overall administrative and technical support to the local MRC units within Utah.
$600,000
Today, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announced $600,000 for Ventura County to strengthen the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) network – focusing on emergency preparedness, response, and health equity needs. Funding for the first-ever MRC State, Territory and Tribal Nations, Representative Organizations for Next Generation (MRC-STTRONG) grant program is from the American Rescue Plan.
Ventura County will utilize the MRC-STTRONG Award to sustain and expand its current MRC unit to fill equity gaps throughout Ventura County.
$1.2 million
The Vermont Agency of Human Services will utilize MRC-STTRONG funds to expand statewide programming to include initiatives aimed at promoting public health preparedness, with a focus on empowerment, equity, and sustainability. Efforts will focus on updating MRC training to support expanding needs and supporting local units by providing subawards to Vermont’s 9 units to promote localized preparedness and response activities.
$1.5 million
The Virginia Department of Health will utilize MRC-STTRONG funds to increase recruitment, retention, and utilization of MRC volunteers in targeted health districts within the state and utilize MRC volunteers to address the needs of at-risk populations, reduce resource gaps, and mitigate health disparities throughout Virginia through targeted outreach events and provide ongoing training and professional development for MRC Coordinators and staff as well as MRC volunteers throughout Virginia.
$1.5 million
DC Health will use the funds to implement a robust recruitment campaign to increase the number of DC MRC volunteers, develop enhanced training materials for specific MRC response capabilities and ongoing training and exercises to ensure response readiness. Additionally, DC Health will partner with Serve DC to provide needed medically oriented train-the-trainer sessions in the community including Stop the Bleed, CPR/AED, and naloxone administration.
$908,202
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services will utilize MRC-STTRONG funds to place a renewed focus on building and expanding MRC unit preparedness and response capabilities and supporting MRC unit operational needs. This will be accomplished by providing funding and operational supplies to units to help in volunteer recruitment, engagement, and retention; engaging in outreach and promotion to recruit new MRC units. The result will be a strengthened and revitalized MRC program in the state that will be ready to prepare for and respond to future public health emergencies at the local level.
Total Awards: $50 million
The MRC STTRONG Grants provide funding that will be used to on enhance emergency preparedness and response in communities nationwide. Funding from these awards will also be used to enable MRC units to enhance health equity during disasters. Funding for this grant program was made available by the American Rescue Plan. ASPR anticipates that these awards will bolster response efforts in communities across the nation, building on the invaluable role that the MRC played during our fight against COVID-19.
To find out more, read the full press release.