County of Los Angeles -
Department of Public Health
As a result of the tragic events of
September 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina, the United
States government decided to place a greater emphasis on
emergency preparedness. More locally, Los Angeles County
has experienced numerous emergencies/disasters, ranging
from earthquakes and fires to civil unrest, and more
recently the Pandemic H1N1. The Emergency Preparedness
and Response Program (EPRP) was established to ensure
that the county is sufficiently prepared to prevent and
mitigate the public health consequences of natural or
manmade emergencies for Los Angeles County residents
through threat assessment, planning, improved
operational readiness, and timely response.
Any emergency will require a rapid,
coordinated response to assess the public health impact
of an event, identify risk factors for adverse outcomes,
and target resources for swift recovery and
rehabilitation of affected communities. With over 10.1
million residents in a county that is 4,089 square
miles, the Department of Public Health needs the
assistance of the community to prepare and respond to
public health emergencies.
MRC Los Angeles
The Department of Public Health has
sponsored MRC Los Angeles, a local unit registered with
the National Medical Reserve Corps under the Office of
the Surgeon General for the organization of medical,
health, mental health, and other non-health general
volunteers. Under the coordination of the Emergency
Preparedness and Response Program, MRC Los Angeles are
trained to assist during public health emergencies.
Vision Statement
Volunteers Building Healthy,
Prepared, and Resilient Communities.
Mission Statement
To assist during public
health emergencies and promote community health
education and engagement.
Los Angeles County ESAR-VHP/MRC
Volunteer Collaboration
This is a collaboration effort with
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health –
Emergency Preparedness and Response Program, Department
of Health Services – Emergency Medical Services, MRC Los
Angeles, Long Beach MRC, Beach Cities Health District
MRC, and Pasadena Health Department. The goal of this
collaboration is to support and coordinate our efforts
in recruiting, training, and deploying volunteers.
Although each group has a unique vision and mission
tailored to the needs of the local community they serve,
we work together to build local capacity to respond to
public health emergencies.
