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Volunteer with the New Orleans Medical Reserve Corps

Upcoming Opportunity: Click here to volunteer for Mardi Gras first aid stations.

Within the NOLA Ready Volunteer Corps is the New Orleans Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), a medical and public health volunteer group. MRC is a group of committed volunteers with medical, public health, and behavioral health skills and expertise to supplement public health emergency preparedness and response in New Orleans.

The New Orleans Medical Reserve Corps is open to volunteers with the following qualifications:

  • Possess a medical, behavioral health, or veterinary license. 
  • Have an educational or professional background in public health, medicine, or behavioral health. 
  • Currently a health sciences degree student at a local university (ex: Xavier, Dillard, LSUHSC, SUNO, UQ-Ochsner, Chamberlain School of Nursing, University of Holy Cross School of Nursing, Charity School of Nursing, Delgado Community College, Nunez Community College, Tulane).

Don't meet any of the above criteria? Consider joining the NOLA Ready Volunteer Corps instead, a volunteer group for people of all backgrounds!

Joining the New Orleans Medical Reserve Corps

To become a member of MRC, follow these steps:

1. Review the following documents and sign them. Submit them in Step 2:

2. Register in the City Volunteer Management System.

Better Impact is the volunteer system that the City of New Orleans uses to to manage sign ups, trainings, and track volunteer hours. Click here to submit the forms in Better Impact (if you already have a volunteer profile in Better Impact, click here to sign in and submit the forms). Upload the signed documents from Step 1 in your Better Impact application. 

3. Register in the State Volunteering System, Louisiana Volunteers in Action (LAVA). 

  1. Go to www.lava.dhh.Louisiana.gov
  2. Click on "Register Here"
  3. Go to "Add organizations"
  4. Select "Medical Reserve Corps Organizations"
  5. Select "New Orleans Area Regional Medical Corps"
  6. Answer all Account Information questions
  7. Click "Next"
  8. You will now see your home page for LAVA. Please click on "My Profile"
  9. Go through each of the boxes at the top of the page and enter the necessary information by selecting "edit information"

4. Review the following MRC documents:

5. Join MRC New Member Orientation. 

New Member Orientations will soon be able to be accessed on-demand through our volunteer software. For applicants who have completed steps 1-4, we will reach out when the orientation is available.

Click here if you have questions about the above process and how to join MRC. 

Trainings Available to MRC Members

Check out additional trainings available for MRC and NOLA Ready Volunteer Corps members. 

Next Steps and How to Volunteer with MRC

When you join MRC, you will begin to receive emailed communications about upcoming events and MRC specific trainings.

The New Orleans Medical Reserve Corps is part of a larger volunteer group, the NOLA Ready Volunteer Corps. All NOLA Ready Volunteer Corps events and trainings are open to MRC members. Click here to take trainings with the NOLA Ready Volunteer Corps. 

Thank you for stepping up to serve our community, we look forward to working with you.

Volunteer for the Return of Mardi Gras

The New Orleans Health Department, New Orleans Emergency Medical Services, American Red Cross & NOLA Ready are teaming up to offer Mardi Gras First Aid Stations once again on the two major parade weekends. These no-cost stations provide basic first aid and crowd assistance during the parades. They help our EMS and hospital partners by reducing call volume and emergency department visits for minor injuries. 

To volunteer, first join MRC by following the steps listed above, and then follow the steps below:

Step 1: Sign-Up for a First Aid/CPR Course

To be a Mardi Gras First Aid Station volunteer, you must have an active American Heart Association Basic Life Support CPR & First Aid certification (or higher). Use the AHA search tool to find a class nearby.

New Orleans EMS is offering a limited number of reduced-cost courses ($8) for NOLA Ready volunteers. The certification is valid for 2 years. 

Sign-Up Here!

Step 2: Attend Orientation

We are hosting a series of Mardi Gras First Aid Orientation sessions in early February. Volunteers will also have the option to take orientation on-demand. 

Live orientation sessions are up on the opportunities page. We will add the on-demand version to our training page once it is filmed.

Step 3: Update Your Profile 

Make sure your profile includes your first aid certification, certification expiry date, emergency contacts, and vaccination status. You must be fully vaccinated to volunteer at Mardi Gras First Aid Stations.

Update Your Profile