Commonground
Senior Moderator
May 14, 2025
On April 17, 2025, more than 35 healthcare and public health professionals convened in San Antonio, Texas, for an intensive full-day, in-person training designed to strengthen frontline readiness for high-consequence infectious diseases (HCIDs). Hosted by NETEC and SPECTRE at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) — the Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC) for Health and Human Services Region 6, this course brought together participants from National Special Pathogen System (NSPS) Level 2–4 facilities and other healthcare settings to build knowledge, skills, and confidence in managing special pathogen events.
Building Core Competencies for HCID Response
This interdisciplinary course focused on the real-world application of best practices across the “Identify, Isolate, Inform” framework. Participants explored how to accurately recognize, isolate, and report suspected HCID cases, while also initiating care and coordinating with essential response partners. Through case-based learning and practical scenarios, the training highlighted the need for rapid coordination across multiple role groups — from clinicians and infection preventionists to lab staff, environmental services, and emergency management.
Key Learning Areas Included
Adult Care & Clinical Management
Participants reviewed current pathogen-specific trends and reinforced the importance of universal patient screening for symptoms and exposure history. Faculty emphasized that most suspected cases may not result in confirmed HCID, but all patients require timely and appropriate care, and encouraged maintaining a broad differential diagnosis and relying on supportive care while awaiting test results.
PPE Practices
Hands-on sessions reinforced safe and effective donning and doffing techniques, the importance of defined clean/contaminated zones, and how trained observers can enhance safety during patient care and PPE removal. Attendees were reminded that effective PPE is not only protective but also practical—available, wearable, and usable without impeding care.
Waste Management
Minimizing and safely handling Category A waste continues to be a major theme in the care of patients with HCIDs. Participants reviewed strategies for redundant bagging and bag closure techniques closing at the point of origin, preparing transport containers, and collaborating with waste vendors to ensure proper removal and destruction of infectious materials.
Why This Matters
The San Antonio course underscored the critical role of all healthcare facilities in national HCID preparedness and response efforts. Whether dealing with a suspected case of viral hemorrhagic fever, a lab-confirmed outbreak of an emerging pathogen, or coordinating with public health partners during an unknown event, the skills taught in this training help ensure a safer, more effective response.
By investing in scenario-based, hands-on learning, NETEC and the RESPTCs are helping healthcare teams across the NSPS stay ready—not just in theory, but in action.
“I thought this conference was well done. The presenters were friendly, approachable, realistic, and willing to share their expertise and knowledge. I plan to use this information in my work environment to improve our preparedness for an outbreak event. I am happy to give this conference an A+.”
Stay tuned for more courses coming this spring and summer as NETEC continues its 2025 training series across the country. Next up, NETEC will be in San Francisco on June 10, 2025, for an in-person course co-hosted with Cedars-Sinai, the RESPTC for Region 9.
https://netec.org/2025/05/14/hands-...st-special-pathogens-training-in-san-antonio/
On April 17, 2025, more than 35 healthcare and public health professionals convened in San Antonio, Texas, for an intensive full-day, in-person training designed to strengthen frontline readiness for high-consequence infectious diseases (HCIDs). Hosted by NETEC and SPECTRE at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) — the Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC) for Health and Human Services Region 6, this course brought together participants from National Special Pathogen System (NSPS) Level 2–4 facilities and other healthcare settings to build knowledge, skills, and confidence in managing special pathogen events.
Building Core Competencies for HCID Response
This interdisciplinary course focused on the real-world application of best practices across the “Identify, Isolate, Inform” framework. Participants explored how to accurately recognize, isolate, and report suspected HCID cases, while also initiating care and coordinating with essential response partners. Through case-based learning and practical scenarios, the training highlighted the need for rapid coordination across multiple role groups — from clinicians and infection preventionists to lab staff, environmental services, and emergency management.
Key Learning Areas Included
Adult Care & Clinical Management
Participants reviewed current pathogen-specific trends and reinforced the importance of universal patient screening for symptoms and exposure history. Faculty emphasized that most suspected cases may not result in confirmed HCID, but all patients require timely and appropriate care, and encouraged maintaining a broad differential diagnosis and relying on supportive care while awaiting test results.
PPE Practices
Hands-on sessions reinforced safe and effective donning and doffing techniques, the importance of defined clean/contaminated zones, and how trained observers can enhance safety during patient care and PPE removal. Attendees were reminded that effective PPE is not only protective but also practical—available, wearable, and usable without impeding care.
Waste Management
Minimizing and safely handling Category A waste continues to be a major theme in the care of patients with HCIDs. Participants reviewed strategies for redundant bagging and bag closure techniques closing at the point of origin, preparing transport containers, and collaborating with waste vendors to ensure proper removal and destruction of infectious materials.
Why This Matters
The San Antonio course underscored the critical role of all healthcare facilities in national HCID preparedness and response efforts. Whether dealing with a suspected case of viral hemorrhagic fever, a lab-confirmed outbreak of an emerging pathogen, or coordinating with public health partners during an unknown event, the skills taught in this training help ensure a safer, more effective response.
By investing in scenario-based, hands-on learning, NETEC and the RESPTCs are helping healthcare teams across the NSPS stay ready—not just in theory, but in action.
“I thought this conference was well done. The presenters were friendly, approachable, realistic, and willing to share their expertise and knowledge. I plan to use this information in my work environment to improve our preparedness for an outbreak event. I am happy to give this conference an A+.”
Stay tuned for more courses coming this spring and summer as NETEC continues its 2025 training series across the country. Next up, NETEC will be in San Francisco on June 10, 2025, for an in-person course co-hosted with Cedars-Sinai, the RESPTC for Region 9.
https://netec.org/2025/05/14/hands-...st-special-pathogens-training-in-san-antonio/