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URMC / Emergency Preparedness Coalition / Health Coalition Emergency Management Workshop / 2026: MCI Response: Beyond the Victim Support

2026: Western Region Health Coalition Emergency Management Seminar


2026 Western Region Health Coalition Emergency Management Seminar
MCI: BEYOND THE CHAOS

Tuesday, April 28, 2026
0800 - 1230
VIRTUAL

**REGISTRATION COMING SOON**

Website: wrhems2026.urmc.edu  
Flyer:
Registration Link: https://urmc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UiUx_nmJSTGw4dzaKJwPwQ

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The 2026 Western Region Health Coalition Emergency Management Seminar, MCI: Beyond the Chaos, is a half-day virtual event focused on managing mass casualty incidents (MCIs) beyond immediate victim care. This seminar aims to provide actionable knowledge on regional planning, family support, disaster mental health, communication, and fatality management to enhance MCI preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. It also emphasizes that victim care and support is a collaborative, multi-agency response that extends past initial emergency medical treatment.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

Based on presentations, participants will be able to:

  • Analyze regional Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) planning principles by applying lessons learned from the August 2025 thruway bus accident to improve coordination, resource allocation, and operational readiness
  • Explain the role and operational structure of Family Assistance Centers (FACs) and Family Reunification Centers (FCRs), including protocols for family support, patient tracking, and reunification during mass casualty and fatality incidents
  • Assess the personal psychological impacts of caring for trauma patients and identify evidence-based strategies to support mental health and resilience during and after MCIs
  • Demonstrate effective mass communication strategies including real-time communication tools that enhance situational awareness and improve coordination/collaboration among coalition partners
  • Review MCI fatality management practices and state-level resources, incorporating insights from the 2018 Schoharie Limousine Crash to strengthen fatality management, interagency coordination, and protocol compliance

TARGET AUDIENCE

Hospitals, EMS, public health, emergency managers and other healthcare/first response agencies who may play a role in a disaster that affects the health delivery system in the community

AGENDA - PRESENTATIONS/SPEAKERS/BIOS

*topics and speakers subject to change*

April 28, 2026 @ 8:00am - 12:30pm

8:00-8:10

Welcome/Opening Remarks

Speaker:Connor Rittwage, MPH, CHEC, CHES
Infection Prevention/Control & Emergency Preparedness Program
Jones Memorial Hospital
WRHEPC Workgroup/Seminar Committee Chair

8:10-8:55

REGIONAL MCI PLANNING

Speaker:Tim Yeager
Genesee County Fire/EMS Coordinator
Genesee County Emergency Management Services

Summary:

 


Objectives:


Handouts:
8:55 - 9:00             BREAK

9:00-9:45

FAMILY ASSISTANCE CENTER & FAMILY REUNIFICATION

Speakers:Melissa J. Calhoun
Special Assistance to the Deputy Commissioner-EMS
Erie County Dept. of Health

Samantha Thomas
Regional Coordinator - PH Preparedness
Erie County Dept. of Health
Summary:
Objectives:
Handouts:
9:45 - 9:50             BREAK

9:50-10:35

The Pebble in the Pond - The Ripple Effect of Our Profession on Our Lives

Speaker:Nicole Stassen, MD, FACS, FCCM
Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics
Director - Kessler Family Burn Trauma Intensive Care Unit
Director - Surgical Critical Care Fellowship
University of Rochester Medical Center

Summary:

 

 

Objectives:

There is a personal cost involved in caring for our patient population including secondary traumatic stress, PTSD, compassion fatigue and burn out which can affect all parts of our well-being. How to manage these personal costs is not learned in training.  By the end of the presentation, attendees will be better able to:
  • Identify warning signs in themselves and others when they are in distress
  • Identify strategies to help cultivate more healthy responses to stress
Handouts:
10:35 - 10:45             BREAK

10:45-11:30

Building a Connected Coalition: Advancing Communication & Situational Awareness 

SpeakerHaley Donhauser, MPH
Emergency Management Coordinator
Department of Emergency Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical University

Summary:






Objectives:

The Central New York Healthcare Coalition’s Communication & Situational Awareness Workgroup modernized its approach over the past year, shifting from static annual surveys to a real-time communication system. Key accomplishments include an interactive GIS mapping tool for live updates, a dedicated Slack channel for daily coordination and incident response, and enhanced exercise support with HAM radio communication injects. Overall, these efforts improve situational awareness, readiness, and collaboration across coalition partners.  By the end of the presentation, attendees will be better able to:
  • Describe how communication tools (GIS contact map & Slack workspace) can enhance real‑time situational awareness and inter‑facility collaboration
  • Identify the operational benefits of transitioning from annual static contact surveys to dynamic, regularly updated communication platforms
  • Explain how the workgroup’s initiatives, including HAM radio-based exercise injects, contribute to improved emergency preparedness and regional response coordination
Handouts:
11:30 - 11:35           BREAK

11:35-12:20


FATALITY MANAGEMENT & RESPONSE RESOURCES

Speakers:Vince Fargione
Logistics Manager
New York State Department of Health, Office of Health Emergency Preparedness
Summary:
Objectives
Handouts

12:20-12:30

CLOSING REMARKS/EVALUATIONS/CERTIFICATES

Speaker:Anne D’Angelo, MS, RN
Program Director, 
Western Region Health Emergency Preparedness Training Center
University of Rochester Medical Center


CERTIFICATION

This Seminar is on the NYSDOH OHEP Pre-Approved List for HPP Vouchering. A Certificate of Attendance will be available to all attendees that complete a post-session evaluation.

This activity qualifies for a total of XX hours of Non-Core NYS EMS credit. EMS Attendees must attend the entire seminar to claim EMS CME.

SEMINAR PLANNING COMMITTEE 

WORKSHOP SPONSOR

 

This seminar series has been partially funded through a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) under the 2025-2026 New York State Department of Health Office of Health Emergency Preparedness awarded to the University of Rochester Medical Center - Finger Lakes/Western Region Health Emergency Preparedness Training Center (WRHTC)