Coordinated Communications and Decision Making to Support a Regional Severe Infectious Disease Response

Infectious disease response, particularly high-consequence acute infectious disease and special pathogen response, requires the coordination of numerous public and private entities to ensure the safety and appropriate care for patients, healthcare and EMS staff, and the public. The Northwest Healthcare Response Network, an independent 501(c)(3) healthcare coalition, has partnered with the local health departments in the Puget Sound area of Washington State to develop a communication and decision-making structure to support coordinated information sharing, patient care, patient transportation, laboratory testing, contact monitoring, and healthcare and EMS staff safety in events involving suspected or diagnosed acute infectious disease patients. The network has developed a comprehensive regional plan and associated tools outlining standard communication practices that include defining who will lead coordinated communications and decision making concerning patient care needs and how all partners will connect during an acute infectious disease response. Over the past 2 years, the network has tested and refined these communication and coordination processes through a facilitated tabletop exercise and a webinar-based functional exercise. These processes can serve as a model to inform the creation of coordinated communications structures for infectious disease response in communities around the country.