By Dakota Antelman, Contributing Writer
Marlborough – The Marlborough Board of Health announced last week they’re forming a “Medical Reserve Corps” of volunteers, a step taken to aid the city’s COVID-19 response.
Mentioned first in a statement March 25, the corps will be “made up of volunteers who assist in preparing for and responding to public health emergencies.”
From there, the city’s March 25 statement read, the group will ideally represent both “medical and non-medical professionals” and could very well continue to serve in non-COVID-19 related capacities once the current crisis passes.
“We have regional MRC resources and volunteers that can be mobilized to aid our community if needed,” city Health Director John Garside explained. “Marlborough MRC is another way to increase locally the number of volunteers that have been vetted and badged to facilitate their identification and skills in emergency response activities.”
Corps volunteers do undergo CORI and SORI checks to qualify for training and licensing to work on corps projects.
A broader regional reserves corps first launched nearly 20 years ago, in 2001, and did, at one point, pull members from Marlborough. Memberships, however, lapse after two years meaning the city now has few active volunteers within its borders.
That’s something officials hope will soon change.
“We anticipate many past members will renew,” Garside explained.
