Alabama Black Belt MRC Delivers Vital Medical Training to Communities​

By Dr. Cheryl Davis, Unit Coordinator, Black Belt Alabama MRC

February 29, 2024 |The Black Belt Alabama Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is working with local organizations to train community residents in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

The MRC is currently training people in several counties in the Black Belt and will continue to expand the program. We focus on CPR because the Black Belt MRC serves a rural area with limited access to health care and emergency care. In many areas in the region, it's not unusual to have only one ambulance serving an entire county. So, when you call an ambulance, if one is available, it may not arrive for 30 minutes or longer.  

Why CPR? 

Our MRC is dedicated to always improving the health of the people in their community, not just during public health emergencies and natural and man-made disasters.  

Time is critical. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), every minute CPR is delayed, a victim's chance of survival decreases by 10% and immediate CPR from someone nearby can double—even triple—chance of survival after cardiac arrest. 

When a person is in cardiac arrest, survival depends on immediately receiving CPR from someone nearby, typically a child, spouse, parent, or a friend. The people taking advantage of our training are positioning themselves to save the life of someone they care about. 

The Training 

The Black Belt MRC is currently offering three levels of CPR Training: 

• Heartsaver® First Aid CPR AED Training - trains participants to provide first aid, CPR and use an automated external defibrillator (AED) in a safe, timely, and effective manner. 
  
  
• Basic Life Support Training - trains participants to promptly recognize several life-threatening emergencies, give high-quality chest compressions, deliver appropriate ventilations, and provide early use of an AED. 
  
  
• Hands-Only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation – trains participants to use chest compression to push remaining oxygen through body to keep vital organs alive.  

The Hands-Only training is the most popular. It only takes about 20 minutes, and the Black Belt MRC has  several mannequins for individuals to practice the compressions.

The Goal 

Our MRC's goal is to train 1,500 people by the end of 2024. So far, about 400 people have been trained, typically in groups of 10 people or fewer. During the month of February, the MRC provided demonstrations on the campus of Tuskegee University.  

We're partnering with schools, churches and other organizations and individuals who are willing to assist us reach our goal of 1,500 people, but when we hit that number, we're not going to stop. 

The Black Belt MRC is part of a wider network of seven Alabama reserve corps units. Alabama MRC units have supported a wide range of activities and events across the state such as providing logistical support during Hurricane Sally,…assisting public health nursing staff with providing community education on hepatitis and vaccinations to at-risk individuals, and assisting with food distribution for those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Help Strengthen Health in Your Community 

As Black History Month comes to a close, we're reminded of the tangible impact that MRC volunteers have on communities across the country. ASPR and MRC are proud of our work in the Black community this month and every month of the year. 

If you are interested in joining the MRC and becoming one of the more than 300,000 volunteer medical professionals, public health experts, and others who help make their communities stronger and healthier during disasters and every day, visit the MRC website to learn more and find a unit in your area. 

About Alabama's Black Belt Region 

The name Black Belt originally referred to the region's rich, black soil. In the 1800's, the name took on an additional meaning when the region was developed for cotton plantation agriculture worked by enslaved African Americans. After the American Civil War, many freedmen stayed in the area as tenant farmers and sharecroppers.  

The Black Belt has been the sight of some of the most important events of the Civil Rights Movement, including the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott sparked by Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. 

Although rich in culture, the Black Belt has some of the highest rates of poverty and hardships such as a lack of economic development, poor wages, and substandard housing, education and medical care.

Historically, the counties comprising the Alabama Black Belt are located in the western and southern part of the state and include the cities of Selma, Tuskegee, and Montgomery.