2. What is the Los Angeles County Surge Unit?
The LA County Surge Unit is the "hospital ready" team for volunteers who wish to be assigned primarily to hospitals following disasters. Qualifications for this team include:
• Medical, health or mental health professionals with a current unrestricted license, who maintain an active practice and are currently on staff at an "acute care" hospital or another medical, health or mental health setting in Los Angeles County.
• Retired professionals who maintain current licensure and must have been employed in at least one of the settings mentioned above within the last five years.
• Participants must be interested in volunteering at a hospital or alternative care site (clinic, first aid station, mobile medical asset, etc) following a disaster.

3. What about the Medical Reserve Corps?
Even though volunteers are employed at a hospital, this does not mean that they are required to work at one during a disaster. In this case, volunteers may prefer to sign up for one of the three Medical Reserve Corps Teams. There are three Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) units within our program including MRC Los Angeles, Beach Cities Health District MRC and Long Beach MRC. Volunteers can request to be placed on one of these teams when they register. The MRC is primarily for volunteers who wish to assist during a public health emergency or promote community health education. Qualifications for the MRC include:
• Medical, health or mental health professionals with a current, unrestricted license who would prefer to respond to public health emergencies or work at "Points of Dispensing" (mass dispensing, mass vaccination site) following a disaster.
• Medical, health or mental health professionals with a current, unrestricted license who would prefer to respond to public health emergencies or work at "Points of Dispensing" (masofessionals are not required to have current active licensure. Medical knowledge is helpful, though volunteer tasks in this setting do not require "hands on treatment" of patients.
• Volunteers with Public Health background and training are encouraged to apply.
• The MRC needs many general, non-medical or health volunteers. Members of the general public interested in responding to public health emergencies are encouraged to apply.