In 2021, the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) was inundated with applications from new volunteers who wanted to help meet the overwhelming public demand for the newly authorized COVID-19 vaccines. It became very clear at that moment: public health and healthcare needed a force multiplier in order to ensure a successful COVID-19 vaccine rollout, and it was the MRC’s “time to shine.”
Over 600 MRC volunteers in the Blue Ridge Health District deployed at least once in 2021 to contribute over 27,000 hours, a total volunteer contribution valued at over $828,000. Of the active volunteers deployed in BRHD in 2021, about 55% of them were medical, versus 45% non-medical, and 131 MRC volunteers in BRHD served as COVID-19 vaccinators. Thirty percent of MRC volunteers in BRHD who deployed in 2021 served 40+ hours, showing dedication and commitment to the public health effort. While it is necessary to quantify these contributions, it is also important to recognize that the work of disaster volunteers is about so much more than numbers. It is about community members coming together to meet the collective needs of the public at a pivotal moment.
Chris Rini, Northwest Unit MRC Coordinator, said of the many individuals who helped, “If you are one of the many volunteers who contributed anywhere from a single shift to hundreds of hours of valuable volunteer labor to the COVID-19 response efforts of the past two years, I want you to know that there are people in your community, across the Commonwealth of Virginia, and all over the planet who are safer and healthier today because of your efforts. I cannot thank you enough for your support, your commitment, your patience, your flexibility, your understanding, and your willingness to help.”
Thank you to all the MRC volunteers who have been so instrumental in COVID-19 response efforts!
