Questions? Email us at: swflmrc@gmail.com
Southwest Florida MRC Foundation Activities

Current Activities

With continuing support from the Foundation, the SWFLMRC has continued to expand in volunteer members and activities. At present, the MRC has 611 registered members. These members have been divided into MRC Chapters which cover a specific geographic area or identified community in Southwest Florida. This enables the SWFLMRC to more effectively conduct disaster preparedness training and organize for deployment.

At present there are established chapters at the following locations:

  • Tara Woods (North Fort Myers)
  • The Brooks (Bonita Springs)
  • NOVA University (Fort Myers)
  • Buccaneer Estates (North Fort Myers)
  • Grace Community Church (Cape Coral/North Fort Myers)
  • Bonita Bay (Bonita Springs)
  • Sanibel/Captiva (City of Sanibel)

All of these members require basic Core competency Training as well as specific disaster training. Upon completion of these required courses, MRC members will be prepared to deploy as directed by the Lee County Health Department (LCHD) in response to a variety of emergencies.

Recent SWFLMRC activities have included:

  • Participation (major triage and psychological first aid) in the Southwest Florida International Airport Disaster Exercise in October 2009.
  • Conduct of multiple H1N1 clinics in the Fall/Winter of 2009/2010.
  • Recruitment and training of MRC volunteers both directly and through MRC chapters.
  • Conduct of H1N1 clinics and medical screenings for the Grace Community Center.

In addition to independent fundraising activities, the SWFLMRC Foundation is the designated fiscal agent for the receipt of State of Florida MRC grants for the SWFLMRC. The disbursements of the MRC grant funds to the SWFLMRC Foundation are subject to the following requirements:

  • Approval of proposed fiscal year program by the LCHD.
  • Review of the approved program by the State of Florida MRC.
  • Review and approval of monthly or quarterly progress reports tied to project goals.

In its support of the SWFLMRC in the coming fiscal year, the Foundation is proposing the following projects for consideration:

Project No. 1 - Develop new MRC Chapters.

  • Recruit a team of experienced MRC volunteers, which under the direction of the MRC Coordinator, will conduct outreach in Southwest Florida to add at least two new chapters. Emphasis will be made on establishing one of the chapters as a joint effort by Edison College and the Hendry County Health Department. Efforts may include telephone contact, speakers at regular meetings of community and social organizations and the preparation of promotional materials.
  • The Coordinator and the team will work with the Foundation web site consultant to develop recruiting and communication tools for the new Foundation web site. Emphasis will be on tools, which will attract potential volunteers to the web site and cause them to return.
  • Recruit knowledgeable volunteers to define an improved database format, which will ultimately allow the completion of the volunteer application on-line. Included features should allow volunteers to input professional licenses and certificates, subject to review and validation by the Coordinator.
  • Include features on the web site to allow automatic e-mail alerts to volunteers, in the event of requests for deployment for medical emergencies and disasters.

Project No. 2 - Comprehensive Training and Disaster Events Preparation.

Training opportunities will be offered to all MRC members in the following areas:

  • Psychological First Aid
  • University of South Florida Programs and Certification
  • Psychological First Aid(PFA) for Children
  • PFA for Adults
  • PFA for Responders
  • PFA for MRC General Members
  • PFA for employee volunteers for Family First Response Team – Airport Disaster
  • Incident Command System 100 and 700
  • START Triage
  • Special Needs Shelter for the MRC Volunteer
  • System Review for Disaster Responder
  • New Chapter Leader Orientation

Disaster Events Preparation. Events to be addressed are: hurricanes, airport accident, WMD event and Pandemic (H1N1 or other)

Tasks to be performed:

  • An additional group of MRC members will receive orientation and training to become members of the Aviation Disaster Team
  • Provide rosters to LCHD of members who have met the training and credentialing requirements for these events.
  • Develop disaster/event scenarios for training.
  • Respond to at least one disaster or disaster exercise during the FY 2011. Prepare an after action report to LCHD with a list of participants and lessons learned.
  • Conduct four POD exercises for H1N1 and other pandemic events.
  • Train and orient MRC members for support of Grace Community Center screenings and other activities that may be assigned by the LCHD.

Project No 3 - Disaster Behavioral Health.

Recruit, establish a roster and train a team of persons for response to local disasters. The team will include at least one clinician. The duties of the team are:

  • Based on scope of disaster, assess needs.
  • Based on the needs assessment, provide psychological first aid to survivors.
  • Provide psychological support for disaster first responders and other work force staff.

Recruit and train an additional MRC member to be a fully credentialed member of the Region 6 RDBHAT (Regional Disaster Behavioral Health Assistance Team). “Fully credentialed” means possessing a current license as a Florida mental professional.

Conduct an annual review and update of the Lee County behavioral health inventory.

Tasks include:

  • Conduct of recruitment campaigns,
  • Documenting applications,
  • Verification of credentials,
  • Conducting training and updating training records.

Task No. 4 – Maintain the SWFLMRC Member Database.

The Member database will evolve to meet changing needs, including changing disaster event requirements and expanded geographic and chapter coverage within Southwest Florida, specifically the interior counties of Highland and Glades.

Tasks to be Performed:

  • Maintain and expand the MRC member database to address the requirements in Tasks 1 through 3.
  • Confirm that the following items are current in the member database:  name, address, telephone number(s), cell number, e-mail address, current licenses, special skills, training certifications, deployment experience, deployment availability, deployment time frames.
  • Provide regular updates of the database to LCHD and the State of Florida MRC.

Task No. 5 – Plan and Conduct a Major Fundraising Event.

The Foundation Board of Directors will establish a committee to plan for and conduct a major fundraising event in the fall of 2011.

The Board will recruit committee members who are active community leaders. The committee will be charged with the following:

  • Establishing the fundraising goal.
  • Defining the nature of the event.
  • Establishing a budget for the event.
  • Selecting a venue for the event.
  • Developing a plan for the preparation for and conduct of the event.


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