Network Ops Update - August - Northwest Healthcare Response Network

September 2025

A Note From Susan

Your partnership and shared learning as we look ahead to September and National Preparedness Month, are a critical part of our community of collaborators focused on emergency preparedness and response operational activities. This communication provides visibility to programs that support your work and service to your broader communities.

And, in the coming weeks, we’ll feature this operational update as part of a new, user-focused website redesign forthcoming for Northwest Healthcare Response Network. I continue to invite your input on how this communication meets your own needs and areas of focus that are important to you.

At-a-Glance

Making Progress – Always On for You

Disaster Medical Coordination Center (DMCC) Planning

Completed interviews which generated insights helping inform proposed structure improvement that better serves needs of regional DMCCs. Work is in motion to prepare for meetings with all regional DMCC’s to share learnings and recommendations and appropriate partners. We plan to convene by mid-September

National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) Operational Surge Planning

Working on final review of NDMS operational surge plan with design goals of documenting strategies specific to the event and reviewing barriers to success of the plan identified by partners. Inputs have been captured through multiple planning versions and those you’ve shared that currently create obstacles for the healthcare community.

FIFA World Cup 2026

Work continues supporting healthcare planning with Emergency Management and the Washington State Department of Health. The Network is serving as co-chair of the state level MCI workgroup that brings partners together to ensure local plans are supported through state level resources and partnerships. The first meeting of this workgroup was held on August 22nd. Further updates will be provided as work progresses.

WATrac Trainings

To date, 54 WATrac trainings have been offered, with 117 individual attending. Topics covered include FIFA World Cup Consulates Presentation, WATrac/Pulsara Discussion for Region 6, WATrac 101 for Central Region EMS Trauma Care Council, Montesano presentation/WATrac Patient Tracking for Northwest Region EMS Trauma Care Council, a Summit Pacific Exercise Patient Tracking, and multiple Patient Tracking DMCC trainings for Confluence DMCC.

Special thanks to attendees representing hospitals, long-term care, EMS, Fire Departments and 911 call centers, public health/local health jurisdictions and emergency management teams, Tribal Agencies and members of the Trauma Care Council, among others.

Pediatric Care Planning

Although summer is still in full view, the Network is working to prepare for the fall respiratory surge. To prepare for this surge, planning for the Fall Pediatric Respiratory Refresher Course is in full swing. More information is forthcoming on how to register for this important course.

Partner Spotlight

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Steven Mitchell who has been selected to serve as the University of Washington interim Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine as of September 1 of this year. A long-time partner thought leader and champion for the perspective and needs of statewide healthcare emergency preparedness, Steve was profoundly instrumental in the value and operations provided by the Washington MedicalnCoordinating Center through some of our state’s most challenging operations of care coordination and service to our community.