Always on for you to ensure that no matter the crisis, care continues for Washingtonians. 

I believe Northwest Healthcare Response Network is indispensable to our state’s emergency readiness. As the lead for our hospital’s Disaster Medical Coordination Center, I’ve seen firsthand how the Network enables us to quickly activate, coordinate across partners, and prepare for any situation that might require we move critically injured patients during mass casualty incidents—where every second counts. In rural areas like the Wenatchee Valley, where healthcare resources are agile but limited, their support, tools like WATrac, and statewide training exercises ensure we’re not alone in a crisis. They’ve created and maintained a unique, collaborative community of healthcare crisis response leads who convene and support one another during a crisis, and at times when we are developing plans and sharing ideas.  Whether preparing for or responding to real-world events like multi-vehicle crashes, or engaging in full-scale simulations, the Network helps us do more with less—building community resilience that includes the engagement of community partners and resources, sharing best practices, and strengthening partnerships that truly save lives.

Northwest Healthcare Response Network's expertise in developing advanced planning and response tools has been instrumental in our preparedness strategy. Thanks to their proactive work, we now enter an emergency event more fully equipped with actionable data and tailored response plans. The data collected through their innovative approaches—both historical and current—is invaluable, enabling faster, more informed decisions that directly enhance our capability to protect lives during critical incidents. Their work is frequently held up as a model and resource to national pediatric disaster groups. What makes the Network so invaluable is its ability to scale across communities with vastly different resources. They’ve built trust from King County to Okanogan, creating a space where emergency managers, clinicians, and executives can align around solutions that protect patients and maintain continuity of care. The cost of unpreparedness—whether from an earthquake, wildfire, or infectious disease—is measured in lives and lost infrastructure. The Network helps us avoid that cost. Losing it would be a tragedy.

I help manage emergency preparedness and response efforts for a critical access hospital in eastern Washington that encompasses a rural community where disaster response resources are limited and distances between communities can be vast. In this environment, the Northwest Healthcare Response Network has been a wonderful and essential partner. It gives us here assurance and peace of mind knowing that their 24/7 duty officer isn’t just a point of contact—they’re a lifeline when crises strike, offering immediate, knowledgeable support without delay or judgment. That level of responsiveness isn’t something you find everywhere. Whether securing additional supplies during an IV shortage, being aware of public health concerns like a measles outbreak, or planning for a major power outage, the Network consistently delivers timely guidance and coordination with information that does not only impact our immediate hospital system, it also impacts our EMS Partners that we work closely with in the community. As an intricate part of our healthcare system, we need to make sure that our emergency service partners know what are currently issues within the station and region. The NHRN helps us achieve that. They also create space for rural hospitals like ours to align with urban partners, share best practices, and stay connected to statewide standards what is or could be directly impacting patient care. I've shared with Fire Chiefs the valuable information passed forward, as well as presented to EMT's in an educational format, the learnings from the Network. The training and resources they provide have made our system stronger and more prepared. Without the Network, rural hospitals would be left more isolated, more vulnerable, and with fewer tools to meet the needs of the communities we serve. They’re a critical bridge between policy, practice, and the people on the ground doing the work.

I was in the room when the idea for the Northwest Healthcare Response Network was first shaped, and EvergreenHealth was proud to be one of its earliest supporters. Over the past two decades, I’ve led emergency preparedness at EvergreenHealth, and the Network has consistently been the partner I turn to—for real-time crisis coordination, strategic planning, and the kind of cross-system collaboration that no single organization can achieve alone. From IV fluid shortages to daily surge issues, the Network connects hospitals, EMS, long-term care, and clinics to ensure we all have a common picture and shared tools to respond effectively.

What makes the Network so invaluable is its ability to scale across communities with vastly different resources. They’ve built trust from King County to Okanogan, creating a space where emergency managers, clinicians, and executives can align around solutions that protect patients and maintain continuity of care. The cost of unpreparedness—whether from an earthquake, wildfire, or infectious disease—is measured in lives and lost infrastructure. The Network helps us avoid that cost. Losing it would be a tragedy.

The Network has served as the crucial backbone for our statewide healthcare preparedness and response, particularly in addressing crises impacting our most vulnerable population—children. Their team expertly leveraged established relationships and robust operational frameworks to swiftly integrate pediatric capabilities into an existing adult-focused crisis care model. Through their exceptional leadership and collaborative efforts, they rapidly unified hospital leaders and stakeholders across the state, significantly enhancing clinical capacity and emergency readiness. Without their strategic guidance and seamless coordination, the rapid expansion of pediatric services would not have been possible. Their contributions undoubtedly saved lives across our communities, specifically, the lives of numerous critically ill babies and toddlers throughout Washington State.

What makes the Network so invaluable is its ability to scale across communities with vastly different resources. They’ve built trust from King County to Okanogan, creating a space where emergency managers, clinicians, and executives can align around solutions that protect patients and maintain continuity of care. The cost of unpreparedness—whether from an earthquake, wildfire, or infectious disease—is measured in lives and lost infrastructure. The Network helps us avoid that cost. Losing it would be a tragedy.

Helping public health and healthcare systems navigate complex, multi-jurisdictional challenges that threaten access to care is a central role of the Northwest Healthcare Response Network. What stands out most is the leadership they provide as a neutral convener—making collaboration not only possible, but productive. Their ability to bring the right partners together has ensured that critical issues like masking guidance, emergency vaccine distribution, and surge response are addressed with consistency across regions. From meeting facilitation to project management, their operational support helps healthcare organizations maintain momentum, accountability, and alignment on planning that serves the entire state.

Whether behind the scenes or in a leadership role, the Network consistently brings a healthcare-centric perspective that prioritizes preparedness and coordination over politics or financial pressure. I’ve worked directly with their team to navigate differing viewpoints and strengthen recommendations through inclusive dialogue. Without the Network, much of this collaboration would stall or fade—not for lack of will, but because individual leaders often lack the capacity or cross-system trust to sustain it on their own.

As a healthcare leader responsible for protecting patients and the broader community from infectious disease, I see every day how critical it is to have a trusted, data-driven, coordinated healthcare response system—and that’s exactly what the Northwest Healthcare Response Network provides. Whether we’re facing a novel pathogen, a mass casualty incident, or navigating the humanity and complexities of crisis standards of care, the Network brings together public health, healthcare providers, and emergency response teams in ways no single organization could do alone. It’s the model for how public and private systems should collaborate. Without it, we’d fall back on disjointed, one-off conversations that leave gaps in care and communication. The Network enables shared decision-making, integrates real-time data, and provides the project coordination no one else has the capacity or objective leadership to manage. Frankly, we couldn’t have achieved what we have without their leadership—and differentiates Washington as few other states benefit from this model. It makes our relationships and system stronger, our work more effective, and ultimately, it saves lives.

Overlake has relied on the Northwest Healthcare Response Network as both a strategic partner and an operational lifeline. Whether notifying the region during a total communications outage or providing early warnings about the IV fluid shortage—enabling us to reduce usage by 30% and sustain cost-saving practices—the Network consistently delivers value. It’s also helped us build trust across the state, from sharing our clinical protocols with rural partners to supporting safe patient transfers from under-resourced areas. As a neutral convener and early alert system, the Network extends the strength of even the most prepared organizations. It’s an essential part of how we protect care—and prepare for what’s next.

Northwest Healthcare Response Network has been an indispensable backbone leader through our communities’ most threatening healthcare crises. No other government agency or private entity has consistently succeeded in bringing together large healthcare systems, public health departments, skilled nursing facilities, EMS, and first responders to solve shared challenges. And the results speak for themselves. From establishing system-wide masking thresholds during respiratory virus season to coordinating response plans for IV fluid shortages and even dirty bomb scenarios, the Network has delivered practical, actionable solutions. They bridge institutional divides, helping organizations that don’t often collaborate find common ground—and in doing so, ensure Washington’s healthcare system can navigate real-world crises with clarity, speed, and coordination.

Examples of the invaluable partnership and services provided by the Network have spanned much of my career. When historic flooding threatened Skagit County, Washington—a hospital I supported in Bellingham was virtually an island cut off by I-5 closures—the Network delivered real-time support at a moment’s notice. Their coalition-driven model mobilizes statewide resources for local needs, whether that’s sourcing pediatric bubble-top beds during an RSV surge or convening emergency healthcare providers at 2 a.m. to address our region’s response to a national technology threat. Because of the Network’s common operating-picture updates and rapid information-sharing, hospitals and the leaders within them, have real time updates and awareness of capabilities that result in lives saved. I consider them an indispensable partner in ensuring consistent response, messaging, and preparedness across Washington’s healthcare systems.

The Northwest Healthcare Response Network is more than a coordination hub—it’s a trusted coalition that creates alignment across healthcare facilities, infection prevention leaders, and public health partners. In some of the most contentious and consequential moments, like systemwide masking during respiratory surges, the Network provided a neutral, evidence-based forum where CMOs and clinical leaders could align, act, and maintain public trust. Their role is especially vital for rural communities, helping ensure best practices are shared, and care remains accessible regardless of geography. The real-time convenings and forums offered by the Network have become an essential space for surfacing vulnerabilities, identifying emerging threats, and navigating evolving standards together. Without this centralized structure, we risk fragmentation, disrupted emergency preparedness, and missed opportunities to collectively advocate for policies, funding, and practices that ultimately protect our workforce and our patients. The collaboration facilitated by the Network generates high-value returns across the state—returns we could not achieve as independent care organizations and providers.

For our large healthcare system, the Northwest Healthcare Response Network's services and collaboration have been transformational. Their expertise in swiftly mobilizing resources, streamlining processes, and developing strategic tools allows us to efficiently coordinate across numerous facilities statewide. The Network's strategic support significantly enhances our agility, enabling rapid, well-coordinated responses to healthcare crises. Their contributions ensure that we consistently deliver high-quality patient care when it's needed most."

The Northwest Healthcare Response Network provides real-time situational awareness and coordination that public health depends on. Before the Network, access to critical data was slow, incomplete, and unreliable, severely limiting our response care crises events like H1N1. Today, the Network gives us the visibility and trusted relationships needed to respond effectively, from managing flu surges to supporting health officers with timely, cross-jurisdictional data that drives smart decisions—like universal masking in healthcare settings. Their role doesn’t just fill a gap; it enables our response systems to function, communicate, and save lives without forcing us to divert already scarce resources. Their partnership helps ensure that when emergencies strike, we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel—we’re already moving and responding to the needs of our Tacoma and Pierce County community.

Since I first connected with the Northwest Healthcare Response Network in 2020, they’ve helped me build relationships with healthcare experts from all over the state. Their real superpower is bringing everyone to the table—key stakeholders, subject matter experts, state and federal partners, and other organizations—and getting us all talking and working together to solve tough problems.

The Network doesn’t just show up during a crisis; they provide practical playbooks and guidance for navigating healthcare emergencies I’ve never faced before. That kind of support has been incredibly valuable—it helps me lead my hospital and community through some truly frightening situations with more confidence and clarity.