Core to the University of Minnesota’s mission is community outreach. The University’s Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), located in the Health Emergency Response Office (HERO), is a shining example of the positive impact that its health sciences students, staff and faculty members can make during a public health emergency, whether on the University’s campuses or in the broader community.
The MRC was recently recognized for the mental health support its members provided following the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting in Minneapolis on August 27, 2025, where two children were killed and 18 people were wounded, mostly children.
The Minneapolis City Council awarded the MRC the Community Hero Award, commending its Disaster Behavioral Health (DBH) members’ care, compassion and service to the Annunciation Catholic Parish and School students, families and faculty, and the surrounding community.
Mobilizing for a grieving community
After the shooting, 27 MRC members deployed upon request to two locations. The Family Assistance Center, set up in a local church, was dedicated to the families, teachers and church staff who were impacted directly. The Neighborhood Assistance Center, set up in the Lynnhurst Recreation Center, served community members and neighbors who were not connected to the church, but needed support.
Tai Mendenhall
At both locations, its members provided a calm presence. They engaged children with a variety of activities as parents talked one-on-one to MRC’s therapists, who also shared written resources detailing what to expect their children to experience in the days and weeks ahead and how to best support them.
Over ten days, MRC volunteers helped around 200 people at both locations.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of the Medical Reserve Corps, and to support individuals and families as they navigate both human-caused and natural disasters,” says Tai Mendenhall, DBH co-lead and a professor in the College of Education and Human Development. “Our response to the shooting underscores the University’s commitment to serving local communities during their most acute times of need, and to walk alongside them in their complex journeys in recovery, healing and growth.”
Serving as a leader in public health emergency response
Courtney Wetternach
What separates the University’s MRC from most others across the country is its academic component, which allows its large and diverse group of members to bring the latest evidence-based practices to its deployments.
“We are only one of a handful of academic-based medical reserve corps in the country and very respected, thanks to our health sciences students, staff and faculty who are leaders in the field,” says Courtney Wetternach, MRC manager and an instructor in the School of Public Health. “Disaster mental health best practices are very different from day-to-day approaches. We are fortunate that our faculty have deep knowledge of the differences and bring that expertise to serve the community.”
In addition to preparing students for the real world, the MRC is committed to sharing what it learns after each disaster.
“Consistent with our academic mission, we will be presenting our lessons learned after the shooting at state- and national-level conferences,” says Jill DeBoer, director of HERO.
Learn more about the MRC, including how health sciences students, staff and faculty can join.