The MRC program was created after President Bush's 2002 State of the Union Address, in which he asked all Americans to volunteer in support of their country. The MRC is comprised of organized medical, non-medical, and public health professionals who serve as volunteers to respond to natural disasters and emergencies. These volunteers assist communities nationwide during emergencies and for ongoing efforts in public health.

The need for trained supplemental medical, non-medical, and public health personnel to assist with emergency operations was highlighted after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Many medical and public health professionals sought to support emergency relief efforts, but there was no organized approach to channel their efforts. The MRC program provides the structure necessary to deploy medical, non-medical and public health personnel in response to an emergency, as it identifies specific, trained, credentialed personnel available and ready to respond to emergencies.

In March 2009, the Eau Claire City-County Health Department invited community partners and members of the Eau Claire City-County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Committee to an information gathering session and discussion about forming a Medical Reserve unit to serve Eau Claire County.   Further discussion and review of after action reports from tabletop and functional exercises and hazard vulnerability analyses in Public Health Emergency Preparedness Committee meetings validated the need for a unit.

A lot of groundwork has been done. The Eau Claire County MRC is federally approved and supported and listed on the national website (www.medicalreservecorps.com). The Eau Claire City- County Health Department sponsors the Medical Reserve Corps, is supported by the City-County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Committee, MRC Unit Advisory Committee, and County Emergency Management.