Central Texas Medical Reserve Corps

Our Mission

The mission of the Central Texas Medical Reserve Corp (CTMRC) is to recruit, specifically train and retain volunteers to expand the health and medical response capabilities within McLennan County. The CTMRC seeks to advance volunteerism in McLennan County by partnering and training with the Heart of Texas Council of Governments Citizens Corps, AmeriCorps and with local chapters of Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Volunteers.

Our Vision

The CTMRC is an all-volunteer organization which encourages individual volunteers to seek and accept ownership of key portions of the Medical Reserve Corp (MRC) operations, while maintaining an integrated focus with other volunteer organizations and the response agencies within McLennan County.

The CTMRC is committed to build upon past successes and expand the possibilities of volunteerism in McLennan County.

Volunteers come from all walks of life, and do not have to have a background as a health care provider. There are many roles needed during an emergency, and the CTMRC serves as the basis for meeting public health needs during all major emergency response operations in McLennan County.

MRC was born on the national level out of a need to coordinate medical volunteers in an emergency response. After 9/11, it was apparent that many medical and public health professionals wanted to help, but there was no coordinated way to do so. MRC became the solution, providing a way to recruit, train, and activate medical and public health professionals to respond to community health needs in an emergency or disaster.

Today, MRC units across the country serve their communities in both disaster and non-disaster circumstances, with both medical and non-medical personnel. On the national level, MRC is housed within the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and funded by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO).

In McLennan County, the Central Texas Medical Reserve Corps was started by Dr. Sara Dolan and Dr. Jim Ellor in August 2007, with the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District serving as the sponsoring agency. We have been known in the past for our PIT teams (Psychological Intervention Teams). Dr. Dolan and Dr. Ellor, both connected to Baylor University, teach a Psychological First Aid training to prepare volunteers for psychological intervention in a disaster or emergency.

Our volunteers fill a critical role in increasing public health’s capacity to respond to emergencies and other health needs.

CTMRC volunteers may be called to perform the following functions to ensure the safety and well-being of our community:

• Participating in exercises to practice a public health emergency response
• Staffing mass vaccine clinics
• Educating the public on personal preparedness
• Staffing evacuation shelters
• Assisting in disease outbreak case investigations and contact monitoring

Volunteer Roles Include:

• Psychosocial Intervention Team Members
• Licensed Health and Medical Team Members
• Phone Bank Staff
• Point of Dispensing (POD) Staff
• Recruitment and Retention Team Members

For more information on the roles and activities of our volunteers, please contact Central Texas Medical Reserve Corp.

CTMRC volunteers have many opportunities for training, service during emergencies, and participation during exercises.  Exercises allow emergency responders and volunteers to practice together and improve their skills prior to an emergency. Some examples of our training opportunities include:

• Until Help Arrives
• Psychological First Aid
• Active Shooter Awareness
• Point of Dispensing
• CPR
• Emergency & Disaster Exercises of all types!

Monthly trainings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m., usually last an hour to an hour and a half.

Most of our training opportunities are open to everyone. So come check one out and bring a friend!

Thank you so much for your interest in the Central Texas Medical Reserve Corps! There are a few simple steps to join our unit:

1) Register in the Texas Disaster Volunteer Registry. This is a secure system that allows us to ensure our volunteers are credentialed and keep up with skills, trainings, and qualifications. To create your profile:

• Select Register Now
• Select Add Organizations
• Find McLennan County Organizations
• Select the drop-down button next the McLennan County Organizations
• Select the check box next to Central Texas Medical Reserve Corps
• Press Select
• Enter your information, availability, skills, and license information

2) Review the Policy Manual(PDF, 345KB) and complete the forms at the back and submit them to Central Texas Medical Reserve Corp.

3) Complete the required FEMA trainings and New Member Orientation:

• ICS 100 - Introduction to the Incident Command System
• IS 700 - Introduction to the National Management System
• Certificates can be emailed to Central Texas Medical Reserve Corp

4) Submit to a background check. Once all forms and trainings have been completed, the MRC Coordinator will schedule a time for you to complete your background check.

ctmrc@wacotx.gov
Phone: (254)750-5493
Fax: (254)750-5405