Brown County Medical Reserve Corps is the recipient of a 2022 Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Operational Readiness Award given by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). NACCHO represents the country’s nearly 3,000 local health departments.

These awards, made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response’s Medical Reserve Corps Program Office, will build the operational readiness capabilities of MRC units to meet the emergency preparedness and response needs of local, regional, and statewide stakeholders. More than $1 million in awards will support 129 units to build MRC response capabilities (Tier 1) or strengthen MRC response capabilities (Tier 2). Brown County MRC received a Tier 2 award.

“This funding will greatly assist our MRC with necessary resources to expand current capacity and recruit and train new members to ensure effective service to the community,” said Ashley Belez, Brown County Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator.

The MRC is a national network of volunteers, organized locally to improve the health and safety of their communities. The MRC network comprises approximately 200,000 volunteers in roughly 800 community-based units located throughout the United States and its territories. According to the 2020 Network Profile of the Medical Reserve Corps, Operational Readiness Awards were the largest funding source for 29% of units that year.

During the 2020 COVID-19 response, MRC volunteers contributed approximately 840,000 hours of service, resulting in a workforce savings of nearly $24 million. Currently, the MRC reports approximately 3 million volunteer hours to support COVID-19 local response efforts, and the numbers continue to grow.

The Brown County MRC is actively seeking new members. Contact the Brownwood/Brown County Health Department at 325-643-3793 or phpstaff@brownwoodtexas.gov for more information on how to join.