FOR RELEASE: March 6, 2006
GALVESTON, Texas — The afternoon of March 23, 2005, was sunny and mild until a deadly blast at an oil refinery rocked Texas City. Fifteen employees of the BP refinery were killed and scores more were injured. As the smoke darkened the sky, those with the most serious injuries — stemming mostly from burns and blunt force trauma — were rushed to the Level I trauma center at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to receive expert care that would save their lives.
Although the explosion was the worst the area has seen in more than 50 years, Dr. Brian Zachariah’s UTMB Emergency Medicine team was cool-headed and prepared. The Level I trauma center serves nine counties and its medical professionals regularly rehearse for the day that disaster strikes. It came as no surprise when the Texas Medical Rangers asked Zachariah to command a new Galveston-based unit of the statewide medical reserve corps.
The Texas Medical Rangers are an unpaid medical volunteer element of the Texas State Guard. They respond to large-scale disasters, supplementing public health authorities of the Texas Department of State Health Services. The medical rangers also assist DSHS in monitoring the general population and high-risk populations of Texas in order to prevent outbreaks of disease and implement injury precaution measures. The medical ranger units are typically based at academic medical centers and UTMB will be the base for the Galveston unit.
Like the national reserves, the medical rangers meet on a monthly basis for training and exercises; unlike the reserves, attendance isn’t mandatory.
“The Texas Medical Rangers are here to help the state respond to the immediate health needs of our communities,” Zachariah, director of UTMB’s emergency department, said. “We need medical professionals to volunteer, but non-medical personnel are also needed and welcome. Anyone who is interested in volunteering and learning new health-related skills can participate and play a valuable role.”
With the approach of hurricane season, the launch of the Galveston unit comes at a good time, Zachariah said.
“After Katrina hit, the Houston chapter provided a lot of aid to the evacuees and participated in clean up efforts in East Texas,” he said. “This chapter will enhance the availability of emergency aid in the region during times of crisis.”
With Zachariah, executive officer Alec Ross and member Pam Gerdes, both nurses in the UTMB Department of Psychiatry, and company clerk Kenneth Clark, a receptionist in the UTMB Department of Radiology, currently make up the Texas Medical Rangers Galveston unit, but Zachariah said he expects to see the group grow quickly. At noon on March 10, a startup meeting and public reception will be open to anyone interested in joining or learning more about the Texas Medical Rangers. Texas Medical Rangers officers from around the state will be on hand to answer questions and Robert Hern, a care manager for UTMB Emergency Services, will be sworn in as a first lieutenant during a short ceremony.
“This is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in helping their neighbors during a crisis,” Zachariah said. “After Rita devastated parts of East Texas last year, I heard from people who wanted to help but didn’t know how. With the Texas Medical Rangers people will have the opportunity to be there for their community when the need is greatest.”
The meeting and reception will be held in Room 1.115 at the UTMB Rebecca Sealy Hospital, Eighth and Market Streets in Galveston. For more information, contact Lt. Col. Robert Morecook at (713) 857-3823 or Dr. Brian Zachariah at (409) 772-1425.
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Media Hotline (409) 772-6397
Jennifer Reynolds-Sanchez: jareynol@utmb.edu