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Building a Healthier Maryland: 10th Medical Regiment Expands Public Health Education Initiatives

In 2024, the Maryland Defense Force’s (MDDF) 10th Medical Regiment is set to enhance its commitment to bolstering community health resilience and expanding public health education. Following a year marked by significant engagement in community health awareness initiatives, the regiment is poised to broaden its efforts. Notably, the regiment demonstrated its dedication to community service on Veterans Day, when its Medical Readiness Training Academy and Medical Reserve Corps Company provided Basic Life Support training at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, in collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Central Maryland Area Health Education Center. This event, aimed at imparting vital lifesaving skills to veterans and their families, underscored the regiment’s role in empowering the community through education and engagement, extending their impact beyond the scheduled event due to the participants’ keen interest and engagement.

The 10th Medical Regiment’s initiatives span various community events and health fairs, directly interacting with the public to foster health awareness and resilience. With a STOP THE BLEED® Educational License granted by the U.S. Department of Defense in 2023, the regiment is equipped to train communities in life-saving techniques to manage traumatic bleeding, further emphasizing its role in public health education. Under the leadership of Lt. Col. (MD) Harold Bailey and with the dedication of its Medical Readiness Instructors, the regiment aims to fulfill its vision of ‘A Healthy and Resilient Maryland.’ This vision is supported by the unique blend of uniformed and civilian personnel in the Medical Reserve Corps Company, highlighting the innovative approach of the 10th Medical Regiment in responding to health emergencies and enhancing community preparedness across the State of Maryland.

The 10th Medical Regiment has a legendary history within The State Defense Forces as it is the only State Defense Force unit to have deployed overseas. In 2006 they deployed with The Maryland Air National Guard on a Humanitarian & Medical Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. To learn more about the mission – Click Here.

MDDF 10th Medical Regiment Supports Community Resilience
The Maryland Defense Force’s (MDDF) 10th Medical Regiment plans to continue its efforts to increase public health education in 2024. After a busy 2023 in which a focus was on community health awareness the unit will expand efforts to build community health resiliency in addition to preparing to respond to health emergencies if needed.
“Just recently, on Veterans Day, two of our units – the 10th Medical Regiment’s Medical Readiness Training Academy and the 10th Medical Regiment’s Medical Reserve Corps Company provided Basic Life Support training at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Baltimore. We were requested to participate by the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Central Maryland Area Health Education Center,” said Lt. Col. (MD) Kevin Olewiler, executive officer of the 10th Medical Regiment, and deputy commander, Medical Readiness Training Academy. This initiative was designed to teach veterans and their family members basic lifesaving skills. “The participants were so engaged that they kept us an hour past the scheduled end time so that we could answer all of their questions, “Olewiler, continued. Other instructors included Sgt. (MD) Matthew Yates and Parini Shah of the 10th Medical Regiment’s Medical Reserve Corps Company. The Medical Reserve Corps Company is unique in that it is the only unit in the nation with both uniformed and civilian personnel, which resulted in the unit receiving the 2021 Medical Reserve Corps Program Innovator Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for its support of the COVID-19 pandemic response.
“During 2023 our unit participated in various community events and health fairs where we directly engaged with the public. Our aims were to build health awareness and empower the community with skills that will make it more resilient. We will expand those activities during 2024,” said Lt. Col. (MD) Harold Bailey, commander of the 10th Medical Regiment.
The U.S. Department of Defense granted the 10th Medical Regiment a STOP THE BLEED® Educational License in 2023. License holders train communities in techniques designed to save lives by training people to stop traumatic bleeding. This initiative provides another vehicle through which the 10th Medical Regiment can assist with public health education in 2024. “The training that the Medical Readiness Training Academy conducts informs the community about our capabilities, how we can help them prepare for and respond to disasters and fulfills our vision of ‘A Healthy and Resilient Maryland.’ Our Medical Readiness Instructors are consummate professionals and exceptional teachers. Their dedication and commitment make them an invaluable resource for the residents of Maryland. We look forward to expanding our activities throughout the State during the year,” Bailey added.
The 10th Medical Regiment is one of the major operational commands of the Maryland Defense Force and supports the State of Maryland in a variety of ways. The Maryland Defense Force (MDDF) is the State’s uniformed volunteer militia unit providing competent, supplementary, professional and technical support and soldiers to the Maryland Military Department and the State of Maryland as needed. Established in 1917, the MDDF consists of nearly 200 personnel who perform legal, engineering, finance, medical, chaplain, field support and ceremonial services for the State of Maryland.
MAJ Stephen Rice
MDDF Public Affairs
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