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Volunteer Management
Topic Collection
June 17, 2024

Topic Collection: Volunteer Management

During large-scale disasters or extended health emergencies, health care facilities may need to augment their teams (often with volunteers) to continue to provide patient care or support patient care services. Protocols defining when and how volunteers will be used; preferred order of preference (e.g., staff from affiliated facilities, followed by coalition facilities, then federal/Emergency Management Assistance Compact clinical personnel, then Medical Reserve Corps [MRC], then spontaneous volunteer professionals); how appropriate volunteers will be identified and requested; how they will be credentialed and assigned; and how their work will be supervised and evaluated must be developed as part of an organization’s emergency response plan. The resources in this Topic Collection include guidance and strategies, targeted legal information, and planning templates to assist health care facilities with successfully incorporating volunteers into their disaster management plans. In addition, some key resources for professionals responsible for the day-to-day management of a public health/health care volunteer program including MRC are listed that can fulfill a variety of missions depending on the need and community MRC mission capabilities.

Please refer to the Healthcare-Related Disaster Legal/ Regulatory/ Federal Policy Topic Collection for additional legal resources.

Each resource in this Topic Collection is placed into one or more of the following categories (click on the category name to be taken directly to that set of resources). Resources marked with an asterisk (*) appear in more than one category.

 

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Must Reads

Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. (n.d.). Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP). (Accessed 6/17/2024.) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This webpage describes the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) program, which provides standards and guidelines to assist states with setting up standardized volunteer databases to support public health and medical response during disasters. ESAR-VHP registries allow volunteers' identities, licenses, credentials, accreditations, and hospital privileges to be verified in advance of an emergency, facilitating more rapid deployment.
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Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. (n.d.). Starting an MRC Unit. (Accessed 6/17/2024.) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This webpage provides information on starting a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) unit for those communities which don’t yet have one. The first step is to contact your local MRC Regional Liaison, and the webpage links to MRC unit registration criteria.
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Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. (2024). MRC Updates and Reports. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This website contains recent reports from the Medical Reserve Corps, a national network of volunteers organized locally to serve their communities. It includes annual reports and overviews of the COVID-19 response.
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Burns, N., Vutrano, E., Willman, K., et al. (2023). Recognizing the Impact of Medical Reserve Corps Volunteers on the COVID-19 Pandemic Response. Health Security. 21(S1).
Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) units were created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This report describes how MRC units supported the local medical response to the COVID-19 pandemic by assisting with testing, vaccination and treatment, contact tracing, staffing call centers, and less traditional actions (e.g., delivering meals to those in isolation, and forming strike teams to serve a variety of clients including farm and factory workers, long-term care facilities, homebound individuals, and schools).
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capabilities: Capability 15: Volunteer Management.
This document defines four key functions for Volunteer Management: Recruit, coordinate, and train volunteers; Notify, organize, assemble, and deploy volunteers; Conduct or support volunteer safety and health monitoring and surveillance; Demobilize volunteers. Although written for public health departments, some of the tasks noted are also applicable to the development of healthcare facility volunteer plans.
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Iserson, K. (2020). Augmenting the Disaster Healthcare Workforce. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. 21(3):490-496.
The author addresses the question of how best to enlist additional health care staff during disasters and emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. He covers the number and types of staff which will be needed, emergency and interstate licensing and credentialing, organizing teams, and the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals.
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Keeley, C., Jiminez, J., Jackson, H., et al. (2020). Staffing Up for The Surge: Expanding The New York City Public Hospital Workforce During The COVID-19 Pandemic. Health Affairs. 39(8):1426-1430.
In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City Health + Hospitals redeployed staff to meet patient care needs, training 20,000 staff members within two months. This article describes how the provider recruitment team used a volunteer provider database; partnered with LinkedIn, the NYC Medical Reserve Corps, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine; and reached out to local institutes of higher education and the NYC Health + Hospitals roster of recent retirees to increase the pool of volunteers.
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National Association of County and City Health Officials. (2019). Developing Volunteer Capabilities and Baseline Training Standards.
This document provides information on Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) core competencies and their four learning paths, eLearning for MRC volunteers, and the MRC training plan on the web platform MRC-TRAIN.
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Rural Health Information Hub. (2024). Community Engagement and Volunteer Management for Emergency Preparedness and Response.
This webpage provides information for managing volunteers in rural health care settings. It includes considerations for planning, engaging the community, recruiting, training, and deploying volunteers, and working with spontaneous volunteers in a response setting. It also highlights case studies, including volunteer responses after a windstorm and bomb cyclone.
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Tishman, S. (2022). 6 Ways To Keep Your Volunteers Engaged. VolunteerMatch.
This article discusses ways to keep volunteers engaged in a program, namely: make them feel needed and appreciated; ask them to help in specific, actionable ways; inspire volunteers with the cause, not the organization; stay connected, and make sure communication channels go both ways; develop a community of volunteers; and show volunteers how they made a difference.
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Wakefield, J., Bowe, M., and Kellezi, B. (2022). Who Helps and Why? A Longitudinal Exploration of Volunteer Role Identity, Between-Group Closeness, and Community Identification as Predictors of Coordinated Helping During the COVID-19 Pandemic. British Journal of Social Psychology. 61(3):907-923.
The authors examined social/volunteer role identity and psychological processes that contribute to volunteering behaviors during COVID-19. They document significant positive relationships between volunteer role identity variables in graphs and tables, noting that nurturing these collective processes will "allow communities to harness their most important resource: people with a desire to help others.”
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Education and Training

CDC TRAIN. (2023). CDC TRAIN. (Free registration required.)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer numerous on-line courses on volunteer management, medical countermeasures, the Strategic National Stockpile, dispensing and vaccination clinics. Users should search by keyword to locate courses specific to their needs.
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Medical Reserve Corps. (2022). MRC Network Webinars.
The national Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) program hosts monthly webinars on a variety of topics geared towards MRC Coordinators and others interested in volunteer management (e.g., adapting to virtual work in COVID environment, recruiting and retaining volunteers, and managing spontaneous volunteers).
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Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). (n.d.). Become a Volunteer. (Accessed 6/17/2024.)
This page describes the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) program, reasons for volunteering, activities volunteers participate in, and explains how to find out more about becoming an MRC volunteer.
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National Association of County and City Health Officials. (n.d.). Deployment & Post-Deployment. (Free registration required. Accessed 6/17/2024.)
This course teaches volunteers what to expect both during and after deployment and in various stages.
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National Association of County and City Health Officials. (n.d.). MRC Pre-Deployment. (Free registration required. Accessed 6/17/2024.)
This course covers a variety of activities that an MRC volunteer can do to prepare for an activation or deployment. Course activities include: Training Requirements and Resources, Preparedness Activities, Administrative Activities, and Health and Safety.
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National Association of County and City Health Officials. (2016). Mission Ready Packages: Overview for the MRC.
These slides are from a webinar that provided an overview of Mission Ready Packages (MRPs) and examples of potential MRPs that MRC units could develop based on their local community response needs and the volunteer capabilities within their unit.
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National Association of County and City Health Officials. (2019). Developing Volunteer Capabilities and Baseline Training Standards.
This document provides information on Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) core competencies and their four learning paths, eLearning for MRC volunteers, and the MRC training plan on the web platform MRC-TRAIN.
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National Association of County and City Health Officials. (2021). MRC Unit Leader Training: Volunteer Management. (Free registration required.) TRAIN.
This course covers leadership of teams of Medical Reserve Corps volunteers. It includes information on who is needed for unit composition, procedures for volunteer recruitment, and retaining and recognizing volunteers.
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Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council. (2016). Spontaneous Unaffiliated Volunteers Training Series.
This webpage includes links to resources from Massachusetts that support effective planning for safe operation of a volunteer management system based on the Incident Command System (ICS). In addition to a plan document, standard operating guide checklist, field guide, floor plan, and supply list, there is a four-part online training in how to plan for and manage a Volunteer Reception Center for spontaneous unaffiliated volunteers (SUVs).
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Incorporating Volunteers into Health Care Disaster Response

Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. (n.d.). Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP). (Accessed 6/17/2024.) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This webpage describes the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) program, which provides standards and guidelines to assist states with setting up standardized volunteer databases to support public health and medical response during disasters. ESAR-VHP registries allow volunteers' identities, licenses, credentials, accreditations, and hospital privileges to be verified in advance of an emergency, facilitating more rapid deployment.
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Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. (n.d.). NDMS Teams of Responders. (Accessed 6/17/2024.) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs) are an asset of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) and are composed of professional and para-professional medical personnel, supported by pharmacists, logistical, and administrative staff that provide medical care during a disaster or other special events. The integration and use of federal personnel should be included in facility and coalition plans for staff surge capacity. Access this link for more information: https://aspr.hhs.gov/SNS/Pages/Disaster-Medical-Assistance-Teams.aspx
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American Psychological Association. (2023). Disaster Mental Health Information for Psychologists.
This article contains information for psychologists who would like to volunteer in community disaster preparedness and response. It provides information on psychological first aid, expectations for disaster mental health training, understanding of emergency response infrastructure, and links to relevant organizations.
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ASPR TRACIE. (2022). Mass Violence/Active Shooter Incidents: Community Response and Media Management.
This ASPR TRACIE tip sheet (which is part of a series) can help healthcare system planners incorporate issues related to security, volunteers, media affairs, and donations into their no-notice incident plans.
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capabilities: Capability 15: Volunteer Management.
This document defines four key functions for Volunteer Management: Recruit, coordinate, and train volunteers; Notify, organize, assemble, and deploy volunteers; Conduct or support volunteer safety and health monitoring and surveillance; Demobilize volunteers. Although written for public health departments, some of the tasks noted are also applicable to the development of healthcare facility volunteer plans.
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Cone, D. and Cummings, C. (2020). Hospital Disaster Staffing: If You Call, Will They Come? (Abstract only.) American Journal of Disaster Medicine. 14(4):237-245.
The authors surveyed health care staff to understand their willingness to work during and after a disaster. They found that 87% of respondents were willing to work after a mass casualty incident, though less were willing to work after a human-caused disaster when compared with a natural disaster. Conflicting emergency response obligations may also be a factor in whether health care workers are able to report to work after a large-scale emergency.
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* D.C. Emergency Healthcare Coalition. (2014). Volunteer Management and Use in CHCs and SNFs: A Template for Response Procedures.
This comprehensive document includes a range of concepts and considerations for hospitals related to volunteer management and use. The authors note that in the rare event that federal responders may be deployed to assist, the procedures described in this document can be tailored to help integrate them into a healthcare organization’s response operations.
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McBurney, R. (2011). Plan for Incorporating Local Volunteer Radiation Professionals into Existing Health Volunteer Programs to Assist in Population Monitoring: Final Report. Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Inc.
The author synthesized expert opinion on the feasibility of developing self-sustaining volunteer emergency response programs to perform tasks associated with radiation emergencies (e.g., population monitoring) and help in other ways at hospitals, community reception areas, and other areas.
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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). Preparing for the Future of Disaster Health Volunteerism: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. National Academies Press.
This document summarizes the presentations and discussions from a workshop focused on identifying “the key resources, tools, and opportunities necessary to support the development of a robust, scalable, and regularly engaged disaster health volunteer workforce” to meet the anticipated needs of the future.
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National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. (2011). Points of Consensus: Volunteer Management.
This document defines basic volunteer rights and responsibilities. These rights include: right to supervision, direction, and training; right to safe work environment; and right to clear expectations for volunteers.
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  • Bridget Kanawati Thank you for letting us know and we have updated the link.
    8/7/2023 10:35:25 AM
  • Thomas Barnett This link takes you to the Arkansas VOAD page, but I cannot seem to find the listed resource anywhere on that page.
    8/4/2023 4:31:07 PM
* Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.). Maintaining the Passion: Sustaining the Emergency Response Episodic Volunteer. (Accessed 6/17/2024.)
This slightly dated document provides information on how to maintain episodic volunteers, or those who volunteer spontaneously at the scene of a disaster for a limited amount of time. The document highlights the profile of an episodic volunteer and issues in managing their contributions, including recruitment, screening, retention, information management, and maintenance of the emergency volunteer reserve.
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Radiation Emergency Medical Management. (2024). How to Volunteer in Radiation Emergencies. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This webpage provides information on how health care providers can volunteer to support preparedness and response for radiation emergencies.
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* Rural Health Information Hub. (2024). Community Engagement and Volunteer Management for Emergency Preparedness and Response.
This webpage provides information for managing volunteers in rural health care settings. It includes considerations for planning, engaging the community, recruiting, training, and deploying volunteers, and working with spontaneous volunteers in a response setting. It also highlights case studies, including volunteer responses after a windstorm and bomb cyclone.
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Sher, A., Kent, M., Lyver, M., et al. (2019). Leveraging Volunteers During Emergent Events. Journal of Emergency Medical Services.
The authors of this short article discuss how spontaneous volunteers can be planned for and employed on-scene in the immediate aftermath of an incident. Volunteer typology and on-scene assessment/ triage of volunteer skills are also discussed.
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American College of Surgeons. (2007). Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioners Act.
This webpage provides information on which states have adopted the Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioners Act (UEVHPA), and which states have introduced legislation to do so. Links to the UEVHPA, a legislative information kit, and other resources are also available.
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Emergency Law Inventory. (2024). Navigating Disaster Responder Laws Across the United States by Role, State/Territory, and Topic. Temple University.
Disaster responders can use the information on this webpage to stay abreast of the legal landscape in the jurisdictions they serve. Users can filter results by topics such as liability, licensure, scope of practice, and workers’ benefits to find applicable laws.
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Federal Emergency Management Agency. (n.d.). CERT Liability Guide: A Risk Management Overview for Local CERT Programs. (Accessed 6/17/2024.)
This guide can be found under the Drills and Exercises section. The aim of this guide is to provide an overview of volunteers and liability, including: a summary of the law and liability, sources of liability protection (e.g., volunteer acts, and Good Samaritan laws), and an explanation of risk management as it relates to liability. Also included are resources that can help reduce the chance of liability.
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Iserson, K. (2020). Augmenting the Disaster Healthcare Workforce. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. 21(3):490-496.
The author addresses the question of how best to enlist additional health care staff during disasters and emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. He covers the number and types of staff which will be needed, emergency and interstate licensing and credentialing, organizing teams, and the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals.
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Legal Aid Legal Aid Disaster Resource Center. (2024). Home Page.
This website provides “legal resources and critical information for legal aid professionals, pro bono volunteers, and the disaster survivors they assist.”
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Lopez, W., Kershner, S., and Penn, M. (2013). EMAC Volunteers: Liability and Workers' Compensation. Biosecurity and Bioterrorism. 11(3): 217-225.
The authors discuss the application of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) for volunteer deployment; gaps in the tort liability and workers’ compensation coverage it offers; and how the Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioners Act and other provisions address the limitations of protections under EMAC.
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National Emergency Management Association. (n.d.). Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). (Accessed 6/17/2024.)
This webpage provides information on the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a congressionally mandated interstate mutual aid agreement that has been adopted by all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Under EMAC, state assets (supplies, equipment, and/or volunteers) may be deployed to a requesting state. Reimbursement, liability, compensation, and licensure issues are also addressed. The website has links to training and education resources, as well as a document library, and information on deployable resources. The “Learn about EMAC” menu provides helpful documents for those not familiar with the agreement and process.
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* The Joint Commission. (2023). Emergency Management - Requirements for Granting Privileges During a Disaster.
This webpage describes requirements for enlisting volunteers to help with disaster response when a health care organization’s emergency operations plan has been activated. The requirements include verifying the identity and licensure of volunteer practitioners and overseeing the services and care provided by these practitioners.
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University of Washington, Northwest Center for Public Health Practice. (2014). Legal Aspects of Public Health Emergency Preparedness. (Free registration required.)
This 1.5-hour course (while dated) provides a general overview of public health law in emergency preparedness. Legal questions relating to the use of medical or public health volunteers during emergencies are addressed.
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Lessons Learned

Diriba, K., Deffer, K., Randall, J., et al. (2017). The Medical Reserve Corps: 15 Years of Volunteers Actively Engaging to Meet Community Needs. National Association of County and City Health Officials.
This report builds upon two previous Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Network Profile reports, highlighting the impact the MRC program has had on the nation’s health and safety.
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Kane, J., Ventura, A., Yurchak, C., and Duncan, T. (2022). Disaster Education for Nursing Students: A Successful Partnership with the American Red Cross. Journal of Professional Nursing. (41):119-122.
Through a partnership between the American Red Cross (ARC) and Fayetteville (NC) State University, 110 nurses were able to complete training and become Disaster Health Service volunteers for ARC. Lessons were provided at no cost via online education and in-person or virtual simulation.
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Murrin, S., Grant, D., Stewart, J., et al. (2015). Medical Reserve Corps Volunteers in New York and New Jersey During Superstorm Sandy. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General.
This report details the successes and challenges associated with the deployment of Medical Reserve Corps volunteers during the response to Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The lessons learned related to communications are broadly applicable to the use of volunteers to support disaster response.
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Schmitz, S., Chu, K., Radcliff, T., and Smith, R. (2018). Veterans Health Administration’s Disaster Emergency Medical Personnel System (DEMPS) Training Evaluation: Potential Implications for Disaster Health Care Volunteers. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. 12(6):1-8.
The authors examined the effects of multi-modality training on DEMPS volunteers’ perceptions of the program. They found that “volunteers with multi-modal training who completed all 3 modes were significantly more likely to have positive attitudes about training, plan to continue as volunteers, and would recommend DEMPS to others.” This may have implications for other hospital systems developing similar programs.
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Yafe, E., Walker, B., Amram, O., et al. (2019). Volunteer First Responders for Optimizing Management of Mass Casualty Incidents. (Abstract only.) Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. 13(2): 287–294.
The Volunteer First Responder (VFR) program was developed in Israel to help manage mass casualty incident triage and evacuation. The authors share lessons learned from three incidents and found that VFRs were consistently the first to arrive on the scene and significantly helped with the health response in all settings. Note that compulsory military and medical training in Israel may affect generalizability.
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Yeo, C., Roman, G., Kusnerik, D., et al. (2018). Trainee Responses to Hurricane Harvey: Correlating Volunteerism with Burnout. Frontiers in Public Health. 6:224. .
The authors surveyed new health care trainees across specialties to understand how their volunteer experiences during Hurricane Harvey affected burnout. More than half of those surveyed had volunteered. Volunteers had a greater sense of personal achievement, which may be because less burnt-out trainees are more likely to volunteer, or conversely, volunteering may have reduced burnout, stress, or trauma. The authors note the small sample size and call for additional, more robust studies in addition to educational programs and volunteer opportunities to address potential burnout among trainees.
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Zagelbaum, N., Heslin, K., Stein, J., et al. (2014). Factors Influencing Readiness to Deploy in Disaster Response: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey of the Department of Veterans Affairs Disaster Emergency Medical Personnel System. BMC Emergency Medicine. 14(16).
The authors discuss survey findings that suggest a gender difference in readiness to deploy, as well as a correlation between positive attitudes about training and deployment. The research could be used to inform training for volunteers, as well as policies to support female disaster volunteers.
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Lessons Learned: COVID-19

* Bristow, J., Hamilton, J., Weinshel, J., et al. (2023). Interplay of Demographics, Geography and COVID-19 Pandemic Responses in the Puget Sound Region: The Vashon, Washington Medical Reserve Corps Experience. PLoS One. 18(8):e0274345.
The authors describe the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) response to COVID-19 on Vashon Island, a rural area located in the State of Washington. The MRC response on the island included public engagement, SARS-CoV-2 testing, contact tracing, vaccination, and community support and can serve as a model for other rural locations. The authors found that Puget Sound communities were protected by their geography, and that in conjunction with the volunteer MRC program, Vashon Island had the lowest cumulative COVID-19 case rate in the county.
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* Burns, N., Vutrano, E., Willman, K., et al. (2023). Recognizing the Impact of Medical Reserve Corps Volunteers on the COVID-19 Pandemic Response. Health Security. 21(S1).
Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) units were created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This report describes how MRC units supported the local medical response to the COVID-19 pandemic by assisting with testing, vaccination and treatment, contact tracing, staffing call centers, and less traditional actions (e.g., delivering meals to those in isolation, and forming strike teams to serve a variety of clients including farm and factory workers, long-term care facilities, homebound individuals, and schools).
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Byrne, M., Ashcroft, J., Alexander, L., et al. (2021). Systematic Review of Medical Student Willingness to Volunteer and Preparedness for Pandemics and Disasters. (Abstract only.) Emergency Medicine Journal.
The authors conducted a literature review to understand factors associated with student willingness to volunteer and preparedness for a disaster. Based on their review of pre-COVID-19 pandemic literature, they found that students would overwhelmingly be willing to volunteer but may not have received enough related education to be adequately and safely prepared to do so.
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Handzel, S. (2022). COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics Provide Unexpected Learning Opportunities for Students. Wolters Kluwer Expert Insights.
In this article, the author shares how a program for more than 350 nursing students assigned to assist at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic served as an unusual circumstance that turned into a learning opportunity. Nursing faculty developed exercises which furthered students’ learning of real-world skills, such as patient assessment and infection control which will be important in their future careers.
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Hauck, K., Hochman, K., Pochapin, M., et al. (2021). The COVID-19 Army: Experiences from the Deployment of Non-Hospitalist Physician Volunteers During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. 1-5.
The authors surveyed 183 physicians from various specialties who volunteered to work on inpatient wards early in the COVID-19 pandemic to understand factors that affected their readiness for patient surge. Respondents noted the need for orientations (particularly around electronic medical records), balancing the workload, providing updates on evolving policies, ensuring the teams feel valued and have necessary tools, clear roles, and clear workflow as variables that impacted their readiness.
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* Johns Hopkins University. (2021). COVID-19 Vaccine Volunteer Project.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Volunteer Project organized Johns Hopkins University students to volunteer through the Maryland Health Department, the Maryland Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), and local agencies to support the state’s vaccination program. This report includes information on university staffing, technology resources, volunteer recruitment, an organizational chart for the program, stages of volunteer engagement, and program development stages.
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Keeley, C., Jiminez, J., Jackson, H., et al. (2020). Staffing Up for The Surge: Expanding The New York City Public Hospital Workforce During The COVID-19 Pandemic. Health Affairs. 39(8):1426-1430.
In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City Health + Hospitals redeployed staff to meet patient care needs, training 20,000 staff members within two months. This article describes how the provider recruitment team used a volunteer provider database; partnered with LinkedIn, the NYC Medical Reserve Corps, and the Society of Critical Care Medicine; and reached out to local institutes of higher education and the NYC Health + Hospitals roster of recent retirees to increase the pool of volunteers.
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Keeney, M., Busse, K., Henk, L., et al. (2022). COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Experience: Reflections and Lessons Learned from a School of Pharmacy Perspective at a Health Sciences University. (March/April) (Abstract only.) Journal of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin.
The authors designed a clinic for administration of COVID-19 vaccines, then conducted semi-structured interviews with clinic team leads and surveyed leads and volunteers to identify areas of improvement. Most respondents found the clinic safe for patients and volunteers, while 85% of interviewees reported that patient workflow was very efficient. Team members mentioned feeling gratitude for the opportunity, but also experienced burnout. The results can inform the design of future vaccination clinics that use volunteer staff.
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Moonen, G., Perrier, L., Meiyappan, S., et al. (2022). COVID-19 Pandemic Partnership Between Medical Students and Isolated Elders Improves Student Understanding of Older Adults' Lived Experience. BMC Geriatrics. 22:636.
The authors evaluated a program in which medical students spoke with seniors by phone during the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent isolation and loneliness in this population. The results showed that medical students’ perceptions of older adults were positively influenced, and they were more likely to pursue a career involving this age group after participating. Older adults also valued the program.
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Retzer, A., Jones, J., Damery, S., et al. (2023). Retaining Public Health Volunteers Beyond COVID-19. PLoS One. 18(11):e0294157.
The authors used focus group discussions, one-on-one interviews, and email interviews to understand how COVID-19 affected volunteering in the United Kingdom. They found that factors associated with better recruitment and retention included being true to the original terms of the volunteer agreement, seeking permission from the volunteers before adjusting the terms, and consistent volunteer management and support.
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Satterfield, C., Goodman, M., Keiser, P., et al. (2021). Rapid Development, Training, and Implementation of a Remote Health Profession’s Student Volunteer Corps During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Public Health Reports. 136(6):658-662.
The authors organized interprofessional teams of health professions students to implement projects remotely for the University of Texas Medical Branch and Galveston County Health District during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors provide examples of lessons learned as they transitioned to longer-term projects and found that university partnerships with county health departments can be beneficial for both the community and involved students.
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* The Joint Commission. (2023). Emergency Management - Requirements for Granting Privileges During a Disaster.
This webpage describes requirements for enlisting volunteers to help with disaster response when a health care organization’s emergency operations plan has been activated. The requirements include verifying the identity and licensure of volunteer practitioners and overseeing the services and care provided by these practitioners.
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Wakefield, J., Bowe, M., and Kellezi, B. (2022). Who Helps and Why? A Longitudinal Exploration of Volunteer Role Identity, Between-Group Closeness, and Community Identification as Predictors of Coordinated Helping During the COVID-19 Pandemic. British Journal of Social Psychology. 61(3):907-923.
The authors examined social/volunteer role identity and psychological processes that contribute to volunteering behaviors during COVID-19. They document significant positive relationships between volunteer role identity variables in graphs and tables, noting that nurturing these collective processes will "allow communities to harness their most important resource: people with a desire to help others.”
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Walshe, C., Pawlowski, L., Shedel, S., et al. (2023). Understanding the Role and Deployment of Volunteers Within Specialist Palliative Care Services and Organisations as They Have Adjusted to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multi-National EAPC Volunteer Taskforce Survey. (Abstract only.) Palliative Medicine. 37(2):203-214.
The authors surveyed palliative care stakeholders to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected volunteering in related programs around the world. More than 300 organizations responded, 47.0% of which cared for people with COVID-19. The authors found there were decreases in the numbers of volunteers in patient and family-facing roles, while the volunteers tended to be younger. More than half reported that a decrease in volunteers impacted patient care and patient isolation. Future considerations for volunteering should consider virtual delivery, micro-volunteering, and appealing to younger volunteers.
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Medical Reserve Corps: Experiences from the Field

Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. (n.d.). Starting an MRC Unit. (Accessed 6/17/2024.) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This webpage provides information on starting a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) unit for those communities which don’t yet have one. The first step is to contact your local MRC Regional Liaison, and the webpage links to MRC unit registration criteria.
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Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. (2021). A Network Created for this Moment: How the Medical Reserve Corps Has Met the Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This report highlights Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) activities during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, from January 1st, 2020, to December 31st, 2020. It includes statistics about the COVID-19 response broken down by the ten U.S. Department of Health and Services regions.
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Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. (2022). Medical Reserve Corps COVID-19 Report: March 2020 to 2022. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This report covers the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes an outline of the report scope, statistics on numbers of MRC volunteers deployed, a breakdown of activities during each year of the pandemic, and the future of the MRC as a network still at work.
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* Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. (2024). MRC Desktop and Mobile Dashboard. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This tool allows users to search by state, jurisdiction, or city to locate nearby Medical Reserve Corps units.
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Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. (2024). MRC Updates and Reports. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This website contains recent reports from the Medical Reserve Corps, a national network of volunteers organized locally to serve their communities. It includes annual reports and overviews of the COVID-19 response.
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* Bristow, J., Hamilton, J., Weinshel, J., et al. (2023). Interplay of Demographics, Geography and COVID-19 Pandemic Responses in the Puget Sound Region: The Vashon, Washington Medical Reserve Corps Experience. PLoS One. 18(8):e0274345.
The authors describe the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) response to COVID-19 on Vashon Island, a rural area located in the State of Washington. The MRC response on the island included public engagement, SARS-CoV-2 testing, contact tracing, vaccination, and community support and can serve as a model for other rural locations. The authors found that Puget Sound communities were protected by their geography, and that in conjunction with the volunteer MRC program, Vashon Island had the lowest cumulative COVID-19 case rate in the county.
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* Burns, N., Vutrano, E., Willman, K., et al. (2023). Recognizing the Impact of Medical Reserve Corps Volunteers on the COVID-19 Pandemic Response. Health Security. 21(S1).
Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) units were created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This report describes how MRC units supported the local medical response to the COVID-19 pandemic by assisting with testing, vaccination and treatment, contact tracing, staffing call centers, and less traditional actions (e.g., delivering meals to those in isolation, and forming strike teams to serve a variety of clients including farm and factory workers, long-term care facilities, homebound individuals, and schools).
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* Johns Hopkins University. (2021). COVID-19 Vaccine Volunteer Project.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Volunteer Project organized Johns Hopkins University students to volunteer through the Maryland Health Department, the Maryland Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), and local agencies to support the state’s vaccination program. This report includes information on university staffing, technology resources, volunteer recruitment, an organizational chart for the program, stages of volunteer engagement, and program development stages.
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McCormick, L., Fifolt, M., Mercer, C., et al. (2017). Mississippi Medical Reserve Corps: Moving Mississippi from Emergency Planning to Response Ready. (Abstract only.) Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. 23(1):47-53.
The authors surveyed Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers in Mississippi to understand factors affecting their ability and willingness to volunteer. The survey found that 15% of MRC volunteers reported being able to deploy within 24 hours, and important factors for deployment decisions included risk to personal health, deployment length, and deployment area security.
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National Association of County and City Health Officials. (n.d.). Developing Mission Ready MRC Units: A Resource Guide for Medical Reserve Corps Unit Leaders. (Accessed 6/17/2024.)
This document serves as a tool for MRC unit leaders to explore emergency response missions that they are able to support, understand how to align their capabilities with emergency response plans, develop Mission Ready Packages (MRPs), and use the MRP template to train and prepare volunteers for specific emergency response roles.
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National Association of County and City Health Officials. (2019). MRC Core Competencies.
This fact sheet provides information on the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Core Competencies, organized into 4 learning paths. These core competencies define the baseline level of knowledge and skills for all MRC volunteers. A detailed training plan based on these core competencies and learning paths may be found on the NACCHO MRC webpage, as well.
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National Association of County and City Health Officials. (2022). The Medical Reserve Corps: Two Decades of Service.
This report provides information on Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteer demographics and composition, best practices for volunteer recruitment, screening, communications, and training. It includes capabilities, responsiveness, funding, and future directions for the program. It also includes relevant case studies to illustrate how the MRC operates.
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National Association of County and City Health Officials. (2023). NACCHO: Medical Reserve Corps.
This webpage for county and city health officials provides information on the national Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) program, and highlights NACCHO’s resources developed specifically to assist with deployment readiness for the MRC. It also covers MRC funding opportunities through NACCHO, regional workshops, and links to related resources.
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National Association of County and City Health Officials. (2024). 2022 Medical Reserve Corps Network Profile: Two Decades of Service. YouTube.
On the twentieth anniversary of the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), this video provides background on the MRC and how its volunteers are serving their communities across the United States, from providing flu shots, COVID-19 vaccines, or responding to disasters.
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Rondeau, H., Emerson, R., and Gadbois, N. (2022). Exposing Pharmacy Students to Public Health Concepts through Volunteering in the Medical Reserve Corps. Innovations in Pharmacy. 13(2).
Students from the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy’s regional campus participated in the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) to fulfill curricular requirements and the authors explored how MRC involvement affected educational outcomes and an understanding of the pharmacist’s role in public health. Survey findings indicated that participation improved understanding of their role in public health and the authors encourage continued and expanded student involvement with MRC.
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Plans, Tools, and Templates

* Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. (2024). MRC Desktop and Mobile Dashboard. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This tool allows users to search by state, jurisdiction, or city to locate nearby Medical Reserve Corps units.
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Arizona Department of Health Services. (2022). Medical Surge Personnel and Public Health Volunteer Coordination Plan.
This plan describes Arizona’s approach to coordinating the credentialing, verification, recruitment, activation, notification, deployment, movement, and demobilization of volunteers using its Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) program. The plan structure and issues considered may be helpful to health care facilities in the development of plans to manage disaster volunteers.
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* California Emergency Medical Services Authority. (2016). Disaster Healthcare Volunteers: Deployment Operations Manual.
The purpose of this document is to “provide a common operational framework, including guidelines and checklists, to guide the deployment of disaster healthcare volunteers” across California during an emergency requiring medical resources. The deployment concepts in the manual may be helpful to volunteer managers in other states responsible for developing their own respective protocols for deployment of disaster healthcare volunteers. Access the related volunteer handbook here: https://emsa.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/71/2017/07/DHV_Volunteer_Handbook_2014_1.pdf
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* D.C. Emergency Healthcare Coalition. (2014). Volunteer Management and Use in CHCs and SNFs: A Template for Response Procedures.
This comprehensive document includes a range of concepts and considerations for hospitals related to volunteer management and use. The authors note that in the rare event that federal responders may be deployed to assist, the procedures described in this document can be tailored to help integrate them into a healthcare organization’s response operations.
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Greater New York Hospital Association. (2004). Model Disaster Privileges Policy.
This document is a template policy for a hospital to use to accept volunteers when its emergency plan is activated, and process their credentials when they do not have staff privileges at that hospital.
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Iroquois Healthcare Association. (2017). Emergency Volunteer Management: Planning Considerations & Resources for Hospitals.
This document was developed by a NY State hospital group and identifies key planning and operational considerations for managing emergency volunteers in hospitals. It includes a planning checklist, templates for policies, guidance, and resources for integrating emergency volunteers during a medical surge event.
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Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency. (2014). Los Angeles County Disaster Healthcare Volunteers Clinic Tabletop Exercise Guidebook.
This document (while dated) provides a tabletop exercise template to assist clinics with developing a plan to use registered healthcare professional volunteers from the LA County Disaster Healthcare Volunteer program during disasters. The guidance questions included may be referenced on their own for plan development.
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* National Association of County and City Health Officials. (2021). 2021 Deployment Readiness Guide.
This guide provides Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) leaders the tools to bolster their team capabilities. Tools are included under three categories: Volunteer Management, Develop Volunteer Capabilities, and Develop Unit Capabilities.
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University of Rochester Medical Center. (n.d.). Volunteer Reception Center Plan. (Accessed 6/17/2024.)
This plan template may be used by public health agencies or healthcare facilities to develop a Volunteer Reception Center Plan. The template includes Job Action Sheets and forms that may be used to process and credential spontaneous unaffiliated volunteers (SUVs).
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University of Toledo. (2023). Disaster Volunteer Deployment Management Plan.
This disaster volunteer management plan can serve as a template for academic medical centers interested in using volunteers to help with disaster response. It includes information on protocols for non-emergency and emergency events, pre-deployment considerations, response to emergency activation in and out of state, and volunteer coordinator responsibilities. It also covers volunteer tracking and demobilization.
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Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council and Western Massachusetts Medical Reserve Corps. (2016). Spontaneous Volunteer Management System Plan Template.
This plan template can be tailored by emergency planners, incident commanders, and disaster volunteer groups, to help plan for and manage spontaneous volunteers. It may also be used as a general reference to guide development of a facility-specific volunteer plan.
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Volunteer Program Management

Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. (n.d.). MRC Unit Leader Resources and Login. (Accessed 6/17/2024.) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The resources on this webpage can help Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) members lead an MRC unit, recruit volunteers, report activities, and connect with other unit leaders.
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Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience. (2017). Communities Responding to Disasters: Planning for Spontaneous Volunteers.
While based on Australian disaster management principles, the information in this manual can be used by others to help develop and operationalize policies that support spontaneous volunteers during emergencies. Links to case studies from around the world are provided in an appendix.
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* California Emergency Medical Services Authority. (2016). Disaster Healthcare Volunteers: Deployment Operations Manual.
The purpose of this document is to “provide a common operational framework, including guidelines and checklists, to guide the deployment of disaster healthcare volunteers” across California during an emergency requiring medical resources. The deployment concepts in the manual may be helpful to volunteer managers in other states responsible for developing their own respective protocols for deployment of disaster healthcare volunteers. Access the related volunteer handbook here: https://emsa.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/71/2017/07/DHV_Volunteer_Handbook_2014_1.pdf
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Denny, M. (2019). ISOTURE: A Model for Effective Volunteer Management. Mississippi State University Extension.
This resource describes the ISOTURE model, “a set of steps for organizations to help strengthen their volunteer programs and lead volunteers more effectively.” These steps are: Identification; Selection; Orientation; Training; Utilization; Recognition; and Evaluation and are a helpful framework for any organization developing a volunteer program.
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DeVita, S. (2017). Volunteer Management 101: 5 Keys to Total Volunteer Success. Top Nonprofits.
This quick reference describes principles for successfully managing a volunteer program in general: having comprehensive volunteer management tools; ensuring that recruitment is “purposeful;” maintaining long-term volunteer engagement and consistent communication; and utilizing varied methods for volunteer acknowledgement.
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Homeland Security and Emergency Management. (2022). Local Volunteer and Donation Management Guidebook. Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
This guidebook contains general guidance and five chapters on coordinating volunteers and supplies after a disaster, including how to approach unaffiliated volunteers, public information, messaging, and communications. An appendix containing logs, checklists, and tools to facilitate volunteer and donation management is also included.
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* National Association of County and City Health Officials. (2021). 2021 Deployment Readiness Guide.
This guide provides Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) leaders the tools to bolster their team capabilities. Tools are included under three categories: Volunteer Management, Develop Volunteer Capabilities, and Develop Unit Capabilities.
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* Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.). Maintaining the Passion: Sustaining the Emergency Response Episodic Volunteer. (Accessed 6/17/2024.)
This slightly dated document provides information on how to maintain episodic volunteers, or those who volunteer spontaneously at the scene of a disaster for a limited amount of time. The document highlights the profile of an episodic volunteer and issues in managing their contributions, including recruitment, screening, retention, information management, and maintenance of the emergency volunteer reserve.
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* Rural Health Information Hub. (2024). Community Engagement and Volunteer Management for Emergency Preparedness and Response.
This webpage provides information for managing volunteers in rural health care settings. It includes considerations for planning, engaging the community, recruiting, training, and deploying volunteers, and working with spontaneous volunteers in a response setting. It also highlights case studies, including volunteer responses after a windstorm and bomb cyclone.
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Tishman, S. (2022). 6 Ways To Keep Your Volunteers Engaged. VolunteerMatch.
This article discusses ways to keep volunteers engaged in a program, namely: make them feel needed and appreciated; ask them to help in specific, actionable ways; inspire volunteers with the cause, not the organization; stay connected, and make sure communication channels go both ways; develop a community of volunteers; and show volunteers how they made a difference.
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U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2018). Digital Volunteer Program Guide.
This guide provides information on managing digital volunteers, or those who provide social media support during a disaster, such as crowdsourcing, social media data analytics, or message amplification. Also included are strategies for developing a digital volunteer program strategy, recruiting volunteers, creating standard operating procedures, and creating a memorandum of understanding for the digital volunteer program.
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Agencies and Organizations

American College of Emergency Physicians. Disaster and Volunteering Resources.
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American Red Cross. Training Services Courses and Certification.
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Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP).
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Federal Emergency Management Agency. Community Emergency Response Teams.
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National Association of County and City Health Officials. Medical Reserve Corps (MRC).
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National Disaster Medical System (NDMS).
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National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters.
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Provider Bridge.
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Medical Reserve Corps.
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Veterans Health Administration. Disaster Emergency Medical Personnel System (DEMPS).
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This ASPR TRACIE Topic Collection was comprehensively reviewed in June 2024 by the following subject matter experts (listed in alphabetical order):  

Linda Botts, MPH, Regional Liaison, Region VII, Office of Preparedness, Office of the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR); Nancy Burns,  MRC Coordinator, Upper Merrimack Valley (Massachusetts) MRC; Cheryl Davis, CLS, DHA, Black Belt (Alabama) MRC Unit Leader;  Katherine Deffer, Director of Preparedness, National Association of County and City Health Officials; John Hick, MD, Hennepin Healthcare; Jennifer Kraft, Kansas MRC Program Manager; Bryan Lewis, MPH, CPH, NR-EMT, CHEC II, LSSGB, Medical Reserve Corps – Acting Regional Liaison, Region 5 (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH & WI), Project Officer, ASPR; Mary Russell, EdD, MSN; L. Corey Sloan, PhD(c), EdD, MPH, MS, MA, EMT-Paramedic, CEO, Managing Member, Principal Consultant, Viking Emergency Preparedness Consultants, LLC; Amanda M. Smith, Director, Individual & Community Preparedness Division, Federal Emergency Management Agency.  

It was refreshed and comprehensively reviewed in October 2019 by: Jim Bolen, MS, Planning Section Chief, Butler County / State of Ohio AHIMT; Michael Gurnick, Chair, Ashland Branch Massachusetts Medical Reserve Corps Region 4A and NACCHO Incident Management Workgroup; John Hick, MD, HHS ASPR and Hennepin County Medical Center; Kamya Raja, MSPH, Program Analyst, Medical Reserve Corps, National Association of County & City Health Officials; Mary Russell, EdD, MSN, Healthcare Emergency Response Coalition, Palm Beach County Florida; L. Corey Sloan, M.A., M.S., EMT-P, Doctor of Education Candidate, Deputy Chief of EMS and Rescue, NTA EMS Rescue, Deputy Emergency Manager, Harrison County (MO) EMA; and Monica D. Tipton, M.Ed., Medical Reserve Corps Volunteer Coordinator, Tarrant County Public Health– Public Health Emergency Preparedness.

It was originally comprehensively reviewed in July and August 2017 by: Tracy L. Buchman, DHA, MEP, CHPA, CHSP, Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational & Environmental Safety & Health, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater; Kathy Deffer, Senior Program Analyst, Medical Reserve Corps Program, National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO); Michael Gurnick, Chair, Ashland Branch, Massachusetts MRC Region 4A/B; John Hick, MD, HHS ASPR, and Hennepin County Medical Center; Judy L. Homer, RN, COHN-S, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Representative, Hospital Preparedness Program, New York State Department of Health, Office of Health Emergency Preparedness; Jennifer Kramer, PE, BSE, MRC Volunteer Coordinator/EP Specialist, Livingston County Health Department, Livingston County, Michigan; September McAdoo, MPA, MA, IPEM, Clinton County Health Department, Emergency Preparedness and Response Coordinator, South Central Illinois Medical Reserve Corps Director, Clinton County A.R.E.S./R.A.C.E.S. (KC9NFA); Dave Nichols, CEM, Public Health, Seattle & King County Washington; and Monica D. Tipton, M.Ed., Tarrant County Public Health, Texas.

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