The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response has awarded $376,000 to the Hawaiʻi Department of Health to boost their Medical Reserves Corps.
The MRC is a national network of local volunteer groups trained to respond to natural and human disasters, as well as public health emergencies like COVID-19.
Hawaiʻi’s Medical Reserve Corps plans to use the money to build on its preparedness and response capacity across the state. The funds will be put towards providing education, training and outreach to community members.
They also aim to increase their numbers and build teams for response focus areas.
The funding comes from the American Rescue Plan as a part of their first-ever MRC State, Territory and Tribal Nations Representative Organizations for Next Generation (MRC-STTRONG) grant program.
A total of $50 million was awarded to 33 states and jurisdictions across the U.S. to focus on strengthening their emergency preparedness and health equity needs.
