Healthcare emergency preparedness and response depend on strong collaboration between healthcare systems, public health agencies, emergency management organizations, and community partners. The Regional Disaster Health Response System (RDHRS) in Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Region VIII was established to strengthen medical surge capabilities, improve regional coordination, and build partnerships that enhance readiness for catastrophic events. One capability developed through this effort is the Patient and Family Reunification Virtual Call Center, a scalable, low-cost solution created through collaboration between the Mountain Plains Regional Disaster Health Response System (MPRDHRS), the Colorado Volunteer Mobilizer (CVM), and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
The reunification program was designed to address a recurring challenge during disasters and mass casualty incidents: healthcare systems are often overwhelmed by family inquiries while simultaneously managing patient care operations. Over five years, the capability was refined through planning, stakeholder engagement, operational design, drills, and full-scale exercises involving healthcare systems, public health agencies, volunteer organizations, emergency management, and community partners across Colorado and HHS Region 8. The model uses a cloud-based virtual call center staffed by trained volunteers and supported by a secure, shared database providing privacy-compliant patient location information.
Exercises and operational testing demonstrated that the virtual call center can rapidly scale to manage several hundred calls per hour, reducing the burden on hospitals and improving coordination among response partners. Participants will leave the session with an understanding of the RDHRS program, lessons learned from the first five years of implementation, opportunities for regional collaboration, and practical strategies for building or strengthening reunification capabilities within their own jurisdictions.
