MAVERICK answers the call of service at Scouting America’s National Jamboree
You never know when you might be called upon to step up and serve, and when MAVERICK, the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s (WVCTSI) mobile clinical trials unit, got the call to assist at the Scouting America National Jamboree in Fayette County, the operating team quickly moved into action.
The Jamboree is a 10-day Scouting adventure and leadership experience at the 14,000-acre Summitt Bechtel Reserve in southern West Virginia that welcomes over 15,000 Scouts, leaders and volunteers from across the United States.
Another unit that had been previously scheduled to be utilized as the medical operations command could suddenly no longer participate, which left event planners looking for a replacement. Known for being resourceful and quick thinkers, the Scouts leadership team considered all their options.
West Virginia University Health Sciences leads the medical care support services at the Jamboree and it was Dr. William D. Ramsey, associate vice president and chief collaboration officer, who first suggested MAVERICK as a replacement.
“We needed a space that could be utilized as a command center with enough room to be converted into working office areas with wi-fi. It also needed to be near the medical facilities and accessible for our medical teams,” explained Ramsey.
While MAVERICK has two clinical exam spaces in its 40-foot motorcoach style design, it is also flexible enough to accommodate a simple office set-up.
“When Dr. Ramsey called and asked about MAVERICK’s availability, we thought this was a wonderful way we could give back. The Jamboree means so much to West Virginia, and we had the means to support this critical function, ensuring the wellbeing of thousands of participating Scouts and volunteers,” shared Shelley Welch, RN, MSHS, CCRC, WVCTSI’s senior director of clinical trials.
The day before the Jamboree was set to officially kick off, MAVERICK hit the road with driver Steven Gower and manager Jonathon Dukich, and they met up on-site with Dr. Ramsey and Dr. Joe Barton, who serves as the chief medical officer for the event. They converted MAVERICK to the medical command center in the middle of heavy rain to be ready in time for the first day.
“Scouting is all about leadership, service and teamwork, and being able to pull together this plan in such a short amount of time really took all of those things. We’re grateful to WVCTSI and the MAVERICK crew for helping us make this happen,” said Ramsey.
MAVERICK will remain on-site at the National Scouting Jamboree through July 31 and will return to service supporting clinical trials across the state in August.
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Header photo: Dr. Bill Ramsey, Dr. Joe Barton, Jonathon Dukich, Steven Gower on-site at 2026 National Scouting Jamboree.
WVCTSI Background
WVCTSI is funded by an IDeA Clinical and Translational Research award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (U54GM104942) to support the mission of building clinical and translational research infrastructure and capacity to improve health outcomes in West Virginia.