key: cord-0911945-i1xa70nk authors: Capella, Jeannette title: Regional Teamwork Key to Successful COVID-19 Response date: 2020-08-21 journal: J Am Coll Surg DOI: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2020.06.007 sha: f050c4f5093cce4957d154eb451871afc6b5bb0b doc_id: 911945 cord_uid: i1xa70nk nan a coherent response, and most of that is 100 years old, published during the last pandemic that equaled the scope and scale of this one. At that time, the American College of Surgeons was only 5 years old, and there were no such specialties as Trauma Surgery or Infectious Disease. The Centers for Disease Control and the Federal Emergency Management Agency would not exist for decades. Computers, the internet, statistical software, and geographic information systems had yet to be invented. We did not yet even understand DNA or RNA or the nature of viruses. Lacking substantial pre-existing literature, the authors of this paper drew on the expertise of many stakeholders who had key roles in Western Washington's response to COVID-19. University of Washington's Departments of Emergency Medicine, Surgery, Internal Medicine, and Laboratory Medicine, as well as other organizations such as the Northwest Healthcare Response Network, the Public Health Department of Seattle and King County, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center were all represented. Other regions throughout the US can look to this list as a starting point for a comprehensive pandemic response. Healthcare coalitions, hospital systems, universities, public health departments, and laboratories all have expertise to contribute, but they all must work together and communicate effectively to best serve our communities. The authors identified 6 themes as key factors in supporting healthcare system response to the pandemic. 1 1. Early communication and coordination among all stakeholders including public health, academia, hospital systems, emergency medical services, and long-term care facilities. 2. Regional coordination and situational awareness of the healthcare system response. 4. Proactive management of long-term care and skilled nursing facilities. 5. Proactive management of vulnerable populations such as the homeless. 6 . Effective physical distancing in the community. Surgeons, and especially trauma surgeons, will recognize many of the concepts used daily in the operating room and the trauma bay. Effective teamwork relies on structure, communication, situational awareness, mutual support, and leadership. 2 All of these are needed for this pandemic response, only on a much larger scale. Finally, although surgeons may not be the "tip of the spear" in fighting this pandemic, we still have a vital role to play. Some have directly assisted our medical colleagues by forming emergency stabilization teams or critical care teams in hospitals throughout the country. 3 Most have had to temporarily shut down elective practices to ensure local healthcare networks were not overwhelmed. All have had to change operating room processes to ensure the safety of staff and patients. 4 Maintaining access to essential surgical care is our fundamental responsibility and it will require us to exercise all of our teamwork skills to accomplish. Epidemiology of covid-19 in a long-term care facility in King County, Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation Characteristics and outcomes of 21 critically ill patients with COVID-19 in Washington State How to set up a regional medical operations center to manage the COVID-19 pandemic Establishing medical operations coordination cells (MOCCs) for COVID-19. Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response TRACIE COVID-19 in a long-term care facilitydKing County Laurencin CT, McClinton A. The COVID-19 pandemic: a call to action to identify and address racial and ethnic disparities COVID-19 and African Americans County point-in-time count of persons experiencing homelessness 2019 COVID-19 outbreak among three affiliated homeless service sitesdKing County, Washington Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence in homeless shelters d Four Flattening the curve for incarcerated populationsdCOVID-19 in jails and prisons Covid-19, prison crowding, and release policies Prisons and custodial settings are part of a comprehensive response to COVID-19 Social distancing and mobility reductions have reduced COVID-19 transmission in King County, WA. Institute for Disease Modeling How has your state reacted to social distancing Physical distancing is working and still needed to prevent COVID-19 resurgence in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties. Institute for Disease Modeling Western Washington State's COVID-19 experience: the keys to flattening the curve and an effective health system response Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response; Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange American College of Surgeons. COVID-19 Checklist