At PSCEPH, we support state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) partners in strengthening workforce surge capacity and emergency disease investigation readiness. Our work focuses on building practical skills, operational confidence, and systems for rapid response during public health emergencies.
Through hands-on training, applied exercises, and tailored technical support, we help jurisdictions prepare staff, volunteers, and Medical Reserve Corps members to effectively scale response efforts when emergencies arise.
Our Approach
We deliver workforce surge interventions that are practical, adaptable, and responsive to jurisdiction needs. This includes:
- Hands-on trainings and exercises
- Tabletop exercises or applied field activities
- Customized topics aligned with local priorities
- Ongoing technical assistance and implementation support
Our goal is to ensure that public health teams are equipped not only with knowledge, but with the operational readiness to act quickly and effectively in real-world emergency settings.
Areas of Expertise
Our training and support commonly address:
- Activating and operating under the Incident Command System (ICS) during emergencies
- Procedures for mobilizing surge staff
- Disease investigation and outbreak management
- Motivational interviewing and strategies to address misinformation
- Field safety and supervision
- Rapid Needs Assessments (RNA) / CASPER methodology
- Survey design, sampling, and preparedness data analysis
Impact
By strengthening workforce surge systems, we help jurisdictions improve emergency response coordination, expand field readiness, and build sustainable preparedness capacity across teams and communities.
Strengthening Public Health Surge Response in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
In September 2025, the Pacific Southwest Center for Emergency Public Health (PSCEPH), in partnership with the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation (CHCC), conducted a three-day surge preparedness workshop in Saipan designed to strengthen CNMI’s capacity to respond to communicable disease emergencies. The engagement brought together 55 public health professionals from Saipan, Tinian, and Rota for applied learning sessions on disease investigation, Incident Command System (ICS) operations, outbreak response, misinformation management, field safety, and surge workforce leadership.
The program culminated in a large-scale tabletop exercise simulating a norovirus outbreak, allowing participants to practice coordination and decision-making across agencies and islands. Evaluation results demonstrated substantial improvements in both individual skills and organizational readiness, with participants reporting increased confidence in outbreak response and clearer understanding of surge roles and ICS activation.
This collaboration represents an important step in building sustainable, locally grounded systems for emergency preparedness across the Pacific region.