Network Strategic Insights from Onora

Dear Partners and Colleagues,

I’m pleased to share the first edition of “Network Strategic Insights from Onora” a quarterly update I’ll share with you, designed to keep you informed, connected, and inspired by the strategic work we’re accomplishing together across Washington’s healthcare and emergency response systems. Through this increased communication, my hope is you’ll recognize that the work of the Northwest Healthcare Response Network isn’t just critical for our region—it’s urgent. The health of our communities directly benefits from our work, and it’s imperative our healthcare, business and policy community aligns around the understanding that a strong economy and a healthy community are inseparable; one cannot thrive without the other.

This inaugural communication coincides with the release of our Year in Review update, which reflects the collective strength of our partners and the measurable progress we made in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, to advance healthcare readiness and response statewide while creating models that will serve national healthcare crisis goals well into the future. The report highlights how, through collaboration, we’ve strengthened critical systems that ensure our hospitals and health partners are prepared for whatever comes next. I invite you to learn about our Year in Review featured on our new website.

We continue to collaborate, design and perform in a rapidly changing federal funding landscape, driving an even greater level of innovation, resilience, and leadership we provide to our partners – now statewide. Our focus on advancing advocacy, strengthening partnerships, and delivering measurable impact across Washington’s healthcare system remains undeterred.

Despite many transitions around us, including the sunsetting of the Washington Medical Coordination Center (WMCC) at the end of June, we are sustaining and growing critical capabilities to ensure healthcare systems and partners continue to have visibility into clinical capacity and shared coordination during emergencies. Through efforts including our weekly situational awareness meetings and reports, healthcare partner forums and planning, we help define and sustain much of the work of the Regional and State Medical Operation Coordination Center (MOCC), while collaborating with partners to innovate in ways to meet community needs.

As we look to strategic priorities ahead, our work continues to center on several programs that reinforce our role as the trusted convener and backbone organization for healthcare preparedness and response:

• Strengthening System Readiness: Advancing regional and state-wide coordination, surge planning, and 24/7 operational support.
• Partner Collaboration in Action: Deepening connections between healthcare, public health, and emergency management to create a unified, statewide response capability.
• Regional and National Advocacy and Alignment: Engaging with statewide and national partners to shape the future of healthcare preparedness funding and sustaining critical infrastructure.
• Emerging Priorities: Preparing for major regional events, such as FIFA 2026, and evolving our role in new readiness frameworks that protect lives and maintain system stability. Advancing our role in national preparedness, and the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) specifically, built over more than a decade of collaboration.

The Network remains focused on diversifying our funding base to ensure long-term impact and stability; while maintaining the trust and partnership of our existing funders whose support sustains our critical statewide preparedness program and response capabilities. This balanced approach enables us to strengthen the foundation of our mission today while building the resilience needed for tomorrow. You can learn more about this as part of my recent Puget Sound Business Journal discussion with Ettore Palazzo, MD, Chief Executive Officer of EvergreenHealth.

We’re grateful for your continued engagement, collaboration and partnership—it’s what makes this work possible. Each quarter, we’ll share updates on strategic focus areas and provide insights shaping the future of healthcare resilience in Washington.

Thank you for being part of this collective effort to strengthen the health and safety of our communities.