The University of Texas at Austin Medical Reserve Corps (UTMRC) is using this quieter time after the COVID-19 response to reorganize and foster leadership within the unit.
“I’m using all of the resources I have to build a team to take on leadership,” said Unit Leader Li-Chen Lin.
For UTMRC, this has meant forming teams led by volunteers who want to take on leadership roles. Teams include:
- Stop the Bleed, which monitors the program and ensures that guidelines are followed.
- Personal Preparedness, which does train-the-trainer programs for local churches and other community groups around personal preparedness—including providing some supplies to help community members build their own kits.
- Mental Health and Wellbeing, which includes building a toolkit with easy to implement and low-cost tips and resources.
- Event Planning, which reaches out to student groups and community partners and plans events like a Disaster Preparedness Day.
Another way the unit fosters engagement is through monthly volunteer meetings and trainings.
“We’re working to create an annual plan utilizing the various health observances,” said Lin. “We’ll raise awareness of a specific topic and host a training associated with that.”
The unit also used a small portion of a NACCHO Operational Readiness Award to purchase one year of access for volunteers to CredibleMind, encouraging volunteers to use the tool as one way to take care of themselves.
“We assess what the community needs and what will inspire volunteers to get engaged,” said Lin. “We’re looking for ways to recognize and appreciate volunteers.”
This focus on unit volunteers helps UTMRC in its work to support the urban city of Austin and surrounding areas. In addition to the community engagement activities conducted through its teams, the unit has deployed in response to hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic, and provided support to activities including mass vaccination clinics, mobile clinics, home visit vaccinations, and family wellness clinics.
Lin credits partnerships as something that keeps the unit alive. In addition to a variety of community-based partnerships, the unit collaborates with neighboring MRC units.
“We look for opportunities to connect, share trainings, and keep volunteers active,” said Lin.
Through its partnership with the School of Nursing, unit volunteers connect with the School’s Longhorn Nursing Immersion Summer Camp, which provides teens an introduction to the healthcare profession. Activities hosted by UTMRC volunteers during the camp have included Stop the Bleed trainings and a simulated emergency disaster drill.
Throughout its activities, UTMRC puts its volunteers first.
“It’s amazing how our volunteers want to help their community,” said Lin. “There will be another disaster, so we must stay prepared. We need volunteers. We need to help each other out.”
