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Harris County Citizen Corps Honored with Best Practice Award for Medical Reserve Corps Initiative

May 12, 2004

On November 5, 2003, Sandra Steigerwald accepted an award on behalf of the Harris County Medical Reserve Corps in Austin, Texas. The award was presented by the Federal Emergency Management Association Region 6 at the Volunteers in Homeland Security Conference. Ms. Steigerwald represented the MRC for her paper entitled “Collaboration: The Key to Establishing a Medical Reserve Corps.”

Steigerwald’s paper first describes the rationale and need for an MRC, detailing the county’s vulnerability to terrorism. Being the third largest county in the United States, Harris County may be a focus for attacks, she notes. The area also offers great resources on which to draw to prepare for an emergency, as well as provide ongoing public health awareness.

“Because all disasters are local, coordination of local response becomes the primary focus in volunteer management,” Steigerwald writes.

In response to the President’s call to service and the needs already identified in their area, Steigerwald explains, the MRC—a component of the Citizen Corps Council—was developed.

Judge Robert Eckels, of Harris County, realized the collaboration of agencies and organizations would be the most effective way to handle an emergency. Judge Eckels was instrumental in the creation of the Citizen Corps Council (CCC). As the CCC took root, the MRC also began to take shape.

According to Steigerwald, through the joint efforts of the CCC, Harris County Community Access Collaborative, and Gateway to Care Program, the MRC now helps to provide “access to multiple organizations involved with community health and safety.”

* To read the full text of Sandra Steigerwald’s paper, please visit the MRC Clearinghouse (login required).

Last Updated on 5/26/2006