PARKERSBURG — The Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department has received a $50,000 award to support COVID-19 response efforts through its Medical Reserve Corps.

The Medical Reserve Corps is a national network of volunteers, organized locally to improve the health and safety of their communities. The network comprises approximately 200,000 volunteers in roughly 800 community-based units throughout the United States and its territories.

During the 2020 COVID-19 response, MRC volunteers contributed approximately 840,000 hours of service, resulting in a workforce savings of nearly $24 million.

Medical Reserve Corps COVID-19 Response, Innovate, Sustain and Equip (R.I.S.E.) awards totaling $9.5 million were given to 186 units and state coordinators by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), which represents the country’s nearly 3,000 local health departments. The awards were made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response’s Medical Reserve Corps Program Office with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources.

The grant has allowed the local MRC unit to purchase items to assist volunteers to help in the community, according to a release from the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department.

According to NACCHO’s 2020 Network Profile of the Medical Reserve Corps, more than half of units (63 percent) expressed that additional funding was their greatest need. Funding for these awards comes through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

The Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department serves Wood, Wirt, Calhoun, Pleasants, Ritchie and Roane counties.