This week is National Volunteer Week, and Maricopa County Department of Public Health’s (MCDPH) volunteer team is celebrating receiving three national awards for their volunteer service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) at MCDPH was given this designation in 2019 and has received three national awards so far in 2022:
- 2022 MRC Program Recognition Awardee in the Community Response (COVID-19: General Response/Multi-Mission Efforts) category
- Response, Innovate, Sustain, and Equip (RISE) Award from National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
- Operational Readiness Award from NACCHO
“Much of our on-the-ground response to the pandemic, from the large vaccine events for healthcare workers to the smaller community events and outreach we’re doing now, has only been possible thanks to our amazing volunteers,” said Marcy Flanagan, executive director for MCDPH. “These awards are well-deserved, and we are so thankful for our volunteers donating their time and skills to the community.”
MCDPH’s MRC has made significant contributions over the last two years. Since January 2020:
- 6,325 volunteers have worked 22,044 volunteer shifts;
- Contributed over 133,000 volunteer hours;
- Supported nearly 2,500 events at over 350 sites;
- And donated $5,794,244 worth of their time
“The sheer quantity of what our volunteers have contributed is awe-inspiring,” added Flanagan. “Despite uncertainty in the early days of the pandemic and strong need for clinical skills throughout the last two years, these amazing members gave their time in service to our community over and over again.”
MRC is a designation given to volunteer groups through the federal Health and Human Services agency’s Office of Preparedness and Response to volunteer groups focused on emergency medical response and public health needs. MCDPH’s MRC is one of about 800 Medical Reserve Corps around the United States and its territories, and is made up of both clinical and non-clinical volunteers, performing tasks from event sign-in to administering tests and vaccines.
To learn more about Maricopa County’s MRC and get involved, visit GetInvolvedMaricopa.org. For more about MCDPH, visit Maricopa.gov/PublicHealth, and follow MCDPH on social media at Facebook.com/MCDPH or Twitter.com/MaricopaHealth.
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Media availability: Virtual and phone interviews can be scheduled between 2-3pm on April 21, 2021; contact Sonia Singh to schedule.
Contact: Sonia Singh, 602-679-3098, sonia.singh@maricopa.gov