MRC Celebrates 10 Years!Happy New Year! This year marks the 10th anniversary of the creation of the Medical Reserve Corps, which was announced during President George W. Bush’s 2002 State of the Union address, and officially launched as a demonstration project in July of 2002. Over these past ten years, we have seen the program grow to over 200,000 volunteers in almost 1,000 units across the country—ready to respond to emergencies and building resiliency in thousands of local communities through prevention, preparedness and public health activities. As you know, MRC units can play a large role in carrying out the National Prevention Strategy, recognizing that good health comes not just from receiving quality medical care but from stopping disease before it starts. MRC units have met that challenge with public health activities ranging from flu vaccination clinics and smoking cessation initiatives to obesity prevention programs through the “Let’s Move” campaign and Bodyworks, a program that targets parents and caregivers of adolescents as resources to improve family eating and activity behaviors. We will commemorate and celebrate the MRC’s 10th anniversary and our decade of accomplishments throughout the coming year, and we encourage you to get the word out in your communities as well. The anniversary year is a great opportunity to highlight your unit’s activities and successes by reaching out to your local media, community leaders, and to prospective partners and volunteers. As part of our awareness plan, we intend to highlight National Health Observances that are tied to the MRC’s prevention mission, such as the Great American Smokeout, National Nutrition Month, and National Hurricane Preparedness Week, and we will send you the upcoming observances for the month. You can also find them at this link: http://www.healthfinder.gov. We encourage you to use our new 10th anniversary logo throughout the year-- on your website, email signature lines, and in printed materials. To access the logos, first log in to the MRC Member Resources site (www.medicalreservecorps.gov). Then, select the Logo Request/New Use option. Complete the short form that follows, and then, select and download the logo file(s) directly from the next page. As with the traditional MRC logo, please review the guidelines associated with the use of the MRC logo at http://www.medicalreservecorps.gov/searchFldr/search?subSearch=PromisingPracticesToolkit/GD/IGuide. With each public health activity, preparedness exercise, and emergency response, we are all making a difference in the health and safety of this Nation, and we look forward to growing our spirit, dedication, and commitment in 2012 and beyond.
Division of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps 5600 Fishers Lane, Rm 18C-14 Rockville, Maryland 20857 301-443-4951 - direct |