Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response

Description

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), within the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), leads the nation’s medical and public health preparedness for, response to, and recovery from disasters and public health emergencies. ASPR collaborates with hospitals, healthcare coalitions, biotech firms, community members, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, and other partners across the country to improve readiness and response capabilities. The Medical Reserve Corps program is within the Office of Emergency Management and Medical Operations in ASPR. The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a national network of over 200,000 volunteers organized into approximately 760 local community-based groups which are committed to improving local emergency response capabilities, reducing vulnerabilities, and building community preparedness and resilience. MRC units organize and utilize local volunteers who want to donate their time and expertise to prepare for and respond to emergencies and to support steady-state preparedness initiatives. MRC volunteers include medical and public health professionals as well as other community members without healthcare backgrounds. MRC units bolster their community’s preparedness and emergency response infrastructures by providing supplemental personnel when needed, thus making those local communities less likely to be reliant on state and national resources. The majority of MRC units are sponsored by local health departments; other types of sponsoring organizations include emergency management agencies, local non-profits, and universities. The MRC program office supports the MRC network by providing technical assistance, coordination, communications, strategy and policy development, cooperative agreements, and training opportunities. The MRC program office also supports information sharing between units on best practices and provides situational awareness of local activities to agency leadership and to state, regional, and national level partners. MRC units are local assets, and the MRC program office does not have direct control over MRC units.

Who can apply

• State governments
• Private institutions of higher education
• Others

Contact

Grants.gov Contact Center<br/>Phone Number: 1-800-518-4726<br/><br/>Hours of operation are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The contact center is closed on federal holidays.<br/>support@grants.gov
support@grants.gov