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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response

This issue of The Express highlights the following new and updated resources:

• Clinical Resources for Emergency Shortages of Treatments and Supplies (New Resource Page)
• Virtual Medical Care Topic Collection (Updated)
• Pediatrics (New Chapter in Healthcare Readiness and Response: An Online Guidebook)
• Opioids: Frequently Asked Questions (Updated)
• Emergency Preparedness: Deficiency Analysis & Provider Resources

We kick off this issue with two reminders. First, May is Mental Health Awareness Month; we invite you to take some time to review our Disaster Behavior Health Resources Page and our Responder Safety and Health and Mental/Behavioral Health (non-responders) Topic Collections. Next, if you have not registered for our Virtual Conference on Medical Leadership in Disaster Preparedness and Response (May 11, 2026, 12:00 PM–4:30 PM ET), we encourage you to do so today. As always, feel free to reach out to us if you need technical assistance or have a resource to share. 

New: Clinical Resources for Emergency Shortages of Treatments and Supplies

The new Clinical Resources for Emergency Shortages of Treatments and Supplies (CRESTS) page highlights resources to help our partners prepare for and manage medical product shortages and the allocation of scarce resources. It includes a link to the CRESTS Topic Collection where users can review both general and product category-specific resources to support their planning efforts. During a shortage with major national impacts on patient care, ASPR TRACIE will rapidly convene the CRESTS Core Cadre and additional subject matter experts as required to develop interim conservation and tiering strategies that will be posted for use while more comprehensive recommendations are developed by medical specialty societies and other organizations.

Virtual Medical Care Topic Collection (Updated)

The continuing increase in the use and capabilities of virtual medical care has led many in the emergency medical community to plan or implement telehealth/telemedicine triage and treatment systems in anticipation of and during disasters and public health emergencies. Many health systems are also using virtual platforms to coordinate daily care and provide remote access to specialty care and assessment (e.g., trauma, stroke, and psychiatric) which can also be leveraged during disasters to broaden access to specialty consultation (e.g., for patients with burn injuries or pediatric patients). The resources in the Virtual Medical Care Topic Collection highlight strategies for implementing virtual medical care during a disaster, including lessons learned from recent events. Be on the lookout for Issue 22 of The Exchange where we will highlight experiences from the field.  

Pediatrics (New Chapter in Healthcare Readiness and Response: An Online Guidebook)

Medical and emergency management equipment, training, and processes; social support; supervision; and legal and ethical issues are all challenges hospitals need to address when planning for pediatric patients. The Pediatrics chapter is designed to be an introduction to key pediatric issues for hospital emergency management including incident command, reunification, mental health, and decontamination. Check out the rest of the Online Guidebook for other chapters. 

Opioids: Frequently Asked Questions (Updated)

The determination that a “public health emergency” exists because of the opioid crisis dates back to October 2017 and several states, tribal areas, and cities have declared a formal emergency, public health emergency, or made a similar type of pronouncement to address this public health crisis. Opioids: Frequently asked Questions was developed to provide answers to some of the most frequently asked questions that affect our audience (e.g., ASPR field staff, health care coalitions, health care entities, health care providers, Medical Reserve Corps units, emergency managers, and public health practitioners).  

Emergency Preparedness: Deficiency Analysis & Provider Resources 

ASPR TRACIE and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have collaborated for a decade to support more than 70,000 providers affected by the CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule. CMS and ASPR TRACIE recently analyzed frequently cited emergency preparedness deficiencies across seven provider types from 2022–2024. The goal of the project is to highlight areas of focus for the provider community as they relate to preparedness activities. Visit the updated CMS Health Care Provider Guidance webpage for more information, including top trending citations. Access our CMS EP Resources Page for tools and resources. 

Call for Resources  

If your health care coalition has developed materials related to the 2024-2028 Hospital Preparedness Program Cooperative Agreement Notice of Funding Opportunity, we want to hear from you! Please send your plans, tools, and templates to askasprtracie@hhs.gov for us to review for inclusion on our Health Care Coalitions Resource Page. If chosen, we will follow up with a request for your consent to post your resources in our library.