The Evolution of the National Special Pathogen System of Care.

Infectious disease outbreaks and pandemics have repeatedly threatened public health and have severely strained healthcare delivery systems throughout the past century. Pathogens causing respiratory illness, such as influenza viruses and coronaviruses, as well as the highly communicable viral hemorrhagic fevers, pose a large threat to the healthcare delivery system in the United States and worldwide. Through the Hospital Preparedness Program, within the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, a nationwide Regional Ebola Treatment Network (RETN) was developed, building upon a state- and jurisdiction-based tiered hospital approach. This network, spearheaded by the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center, developed a conceptual framework and plan for the evolution of the RETN into the National Special Pathogen System of Care (NSPS). Building the NSPS strategy involved reviewing the literature and the initial framework used in forming the RETN and conducting an extensive stakeholder engagement process to identify gaps and develop solutions. From this, the NSPS strategy and implementation plan were formed. The resulting NSPS strategy is an ambitious but critical effort that will have impacts on the mitigation efforts of special pathogen threats for years to come.

Opportunity Among Disaster: Reflecting on 2 Disaster Scenarios During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Maintaining a public health emergency response for a sustained period of time requires availability of resources, physical and information technology infrastructure, and human capital. What perhaps is unprecedented is a medical center experiencing multiple disasters simultaneously. In this case study, the authors describe 2 separate disaster events experienced during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: (1) a cyberattack at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska, and (2) civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Although these settings were very different, the following common themes can inform future disaster planning: the benefit of an already active incident command system, the prescient need for continuity of operations, and the anticipation of workforce fatigue. These dual-disaster experiences provide an opportunity to identify lessons learned that will drive improvements in emergency management through preparedness and mitigation measures and response innovations for future simultaneous disasters.