Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals

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. Federal, state, and local governments offer volunteer health professionals some degree of protection (or immunity) from civil liability, but these protections vary by state. The PAHPAIA §208 clarifies the liability protections for volunteer health professionals registered with ESAR-VHP. To qualify for these protections, the volunteer health professional must be: (1) Acting within the scope of the license, registration, or certification of the volunteer health care provider, as defined by the state of licensure, registration, or certification; (2) Not exceeding the scope of license, registration, or certification of a substantially similar health professional in the state in which such act or omission occurs; and (3) Acting as a member of the Medical Reserve Corps or a professional included in the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals.