2024 NETEC Summit: 10 Takeaways

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On June 11-12, 2024, leaders from NETEC, the NSPS, and the 13 RESPTCs gathered in Denver, Colorado, for an annual summit on special pathogen preparedness. The summit’s goal was to encourage collaboration, share best practices, discuss global trends, and establish a vision for the future. The event included participants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of State, as well as academic institutions and international partners from the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Germany.

Keynote speakers at the summit reflected on the progress of NETEC, the NSPS, and the RESPTCs in leading special pathogen preparedness efforts, as well as the work still ahead. They emphasized the importance of collaboration, including global partnerships, and a shared commitment to strengthening defenses and overcoming challenges. Key speakers included Mrs. Nikki Bratcher-Bowman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Chief Operating Officer at ASPR; Commander/Dr. Bryan Christensen, Associate Director for Preparedness and Response at the Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology at the CDC; Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, Founding Director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Disease at Boston University; and Dr. Jake Dunning, consultant and honorary clinical associate professor in infectious diseases at the Royal Free, and senior research fellow at the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford.

The Summit fostered in-depth discussions regarding past, present, and future initiatives aimed at improving the U.S. healthcare system’s readiness and response capabilities for specific pathogens, with a focus on these 10 areas.

1. NSPS Growth:
   • Immense growth and development have occurred through collaboration with more than 150 partners. However, gaps in the system remain, particularly in developing and implementing Level 3 facilities. RESPTCs were asked to engage with local/state public health leaders to emphasize the role a cohesive response system can play and the incentives to encourage health care facilities to seek designation, including proven reduced risks, reimbursements, nationalized waste management systems, and decentralized diagnostic capabilities.

2. MappBio MBP-134:
   • The Special Pathogens Research Network, in conjunction with RESPTCs, worked with MappBio to establish pathways and protocols to acquire the Ebola therapeutic MBP-134 should the need arise. A review of the past year’s tabletop and functional exercises, as well as the findings from onboarding the therapeutic protocol were provided.

3. Transport and EMS Readiness:
   • The importance of transport mechanisms and EMS readiness for handling patients with high-consequence infectious diseases was emphasized. Innovations like the novel isolation systems for patient transport were discussed alongside training and legislative support for EMS operations.

4. Visitation Planning:
   • In-depth conversations on considerations for family visitation in isolation, particularly for pediatric patients that emphasized the role of diagnostics and transparency.

5. Regional and Interregional Coordination:
   • Regions have strengthened their relationships through joint workshops and exercises, monthly virtual meetings, regional training, and coordination efforts. Priorities include CONOPS updates and implementation, communications, operational difficulties in rural areas, and training and resource allocation.

6. Clinical Management Scenarios:
   • Development of practical scenarios for managing clinical cases, emphasizing the need for preparedness across different health care settings, from large hospitals to small community facilities.

7. Clinical Research and Global Collaboration:
   • The importance of establishing a global research agenda and improving clinical research was discussed. Themes included equitable access to therapeutics, quality improvement, and the development of standardized protocols.

8. Crisis Standards of Care (CSC):
   • Strategies to avoid CSC were discussed, including effective communication, resource coordination, expanding testing capacity, and using telemedicine and alternative care sites. Paying attention to staffing concerns and establishing community partnerships were also highlighted.

9. Pediatric Care:
   • Special considerations for pediatric clinical management were highlighted, including the importance of universal symptom and travel screening, the nuances of caring for pediatric patients in special pathogen settings, the emotional well-being of patients, and training for smaller hospitals.

10. Lab considerations:
    • RESPTC lab capabilities and barriers were discussed, including clinical lab tests, suggested minimum requirements, beneficial lab tests, staff training, and existing and desired resources.

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