Medical Response, Surge Exercise focuses on measles outbreak 3-31-26

March 31, 2026

Medical Response, Surge Exercise focuses on measles outbreak

MOBILE, Ala. — The Mobile County Health Care Coalition (HCC) Coordinator and the Emergency Preparedness Team conducted the annual Medical Response and Surge Exercise (MRSE) on March 31 at the Mobile County Emergency Management Agency.

This year’s exercise focused on infectious diseases, with the scenario developed by Mobile County Health Officer Dr. Kevin Michaels for the Coalition. The scenario focused on a measles outbreak in Mobile County, during which more than 30 injects (simulated, time-stamped, and often unexpected pieces of information) were distributed to participating facilities.

The following agencies participated in the exercise: Mobile County Health Department, Mobile County Emergency Management Agency, Mobile County Commission, Alabama Department of Public Health, Mobile Infirmary Medical Center, Springhill Medical Center, USA Health, USA Children’s and Women’s, USA Providence, Mobile County Public School System, Springhill Home Health and Hospice, Little Sisters of the Poor, Mercy Life of Alabama, Mobile County EMS, USA Center for Disaster Healthcare Preparedness, and Crowne Health of Mobile.

“These exercises are vital to our community,” said Brittany Edmondson, RN, BSN, MCHD’s Emergency Preparedness Administrator. “Working together helps us solve problems faster and make a greater impact than any of us could alone. It’s a good reminder that collaboration isn’t just beneficial — it’s essential.”

The MRSE is designed to evaluate the ability of the HCC and their stakeholders to support medical surge. Applying stress to the health care system is essential for testing current response capabilities, identifying gaps in preparedness, and informing improvement planning.

The MRSE is a functional exercise that assesses the HCC and its members’ capacity to manage a surge of patients equal to at least 10 percent of the coalition’s staffed bed capacity. The exercise supports the development of a national health care preparedness system by challenging participants to maintain situational awareness, share information, coordinate resources, and track patients effectively.

Results from the exercise are used to guide future program direction, initiatives, and activities. Additionally, the identification and exchange of available resources that directly affect a facility’s ability to accept patients are used to support performance measurement and identify gaps for continued improvement planning.