The Columbus Medical Association affiliate focused on emergency preparedness, COTS, recently hosted two key educational summits for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, providing valuable education and experience to our coalition partners.

COTS coordinates the Central Ohio Regional Healthcare Emergency Preparedness (RHEP) Coalition, representing 15 counties, along with the Southeast/Southeast Central Ohio Healthcare Coalition (SEOHC), which represents 21 counties. Find the regional map here.

Both RHEP and SEOHC are public-private partnerships that bring together hospitals, public health, emergency management agencies, emergency medical services, and other key partners to strengthen the relationships that are essential during real emergencies.

RHEP hosted its summit on April 3 at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, while SEOHC’s summit was held at Hocking College in Nelsonville on April 9. Both summits focused on providing real-world experiences and discussions to improve attendees’ preparedness and response capabilities.

“The coalition fosters a spirit of teamwork and mutual support, which is crucial during times of crisis. By working together and sharing insights, we can learn from each other's experiences and improve our overall emergency response strategies,” said Dan Bachmann, MD, FACEP, RHEP clinical advisor and Medical Director of Disaster Preparedness at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Additionally, the summits provide a platform for us to hear from speakers with real-world experience, offering valuable lessons and practical advice that can be applied to our own efforts.”

RHEP kicked off their morning with speakers discussing resilience, positivity, and the importance of emergency responders taking care of their mental health. SEOHC started their day with speakers sharing lessons learned from real-world experiences in rural communities that highlighted small community connections. Both summits featured emergency responders presenting on their response to recent disasters, including the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in Butler County, Pennsylvania, mass shootings in Sutherland Springs and Uvalde, Texas, and an F3 tornado in Logan County, Ohio, a COTS member.

Both summits ended the day with Medical Response and Surge Exercises (MRSE), allowing participants to test plans, identify gaps, understand available resources, and build confidence in their ability to respond to a surge event.

“The COTS Coalition is vital for ensuring that we can care for our residents in their greatest time of need. When a disaster of any magnitude occurs, we as healthcare organizations will need to support each other. Without the effort and organization that COTS assists with, we would not be able to provide the best for our residents across the state,” said Jason Adams, MBA, BSN, RN, SEOHC Clinical Advisor and Manager of Genesis Perry County Medical Center.

“We’re incredibly grateful to have the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) funding to bring our coalitions together, share their experiences, and collaborate on how to respond when the unthinkable happens in their communities,” said Sherri Kovach, President of COTS. “Jodi Keller (Central Region Healthcare Coordinator) and Kelsey Blackburn (Southeast/Southeast Central Region Healthcare Coordinator) did an outstanding job putting together two impactful, well-organized summits that fostered meaningful collaboration and hands-on learning for our regional partners.

Go the COTS website for more information about the COTS coalitions, access emergency preparedness resources, and learn how to get involved.