During the first week of December 2025, members of the Chicago Healthcare System Coalition for Preparedness and Response’s (CHSCPR) Executive Committee attended and spoke at the National Healthcare Coalition Preparedness Conference (NHCPC) in Grapevine, TX. With the theme of “Strengthening Coalitions Lies Deep in the Heart of Collaboration,” the conference featured dynamic speakers from throughout the country, covering topics from hospital evacuations and crisis management for leadership teams, to the use of AI for exercise and After Action Report improvement and keys to the development of a successful Medical Operations Coordination Center (MOCC), among many more.
Representing Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Region 11’s Hospital Coordination Center, and CHSCPR, Ms. KC Booth and colleague Dr. Jason Liu (Medical College of Wisconsin) presented on Chicago and Milwaukee’s respective preparations and lessons learned from the United States’ Democratic and Republican National Conventions in 2024. Ms. Booth and Dr. Liu provided insight into the challenges faced by public and private health organizations before, during, and after these events, which are designated as National Special Security Events (NSSE) and among the most complex of mass gatherings. Multi-agency and partner collaboration (including through CHSCPR), care provision to a unique set of high-profile patients, and working with a complex national security footprint with heightened risks all while ensuring minimal disruptions to the surrounding community were just a few of the highlights covered during Ms. Booth and Dr. Liu’s presentation.
Once again, NHCPC offered a terrific opportunity to connect with regional, state, and national partners, to learn and be inspired, and to share CHSCPR’s own collection of knowledge and experience with others.
Photos: Ms. KC Booth and Dr. Jason Liu during their presentation, “RNC to DNC: Health Coalition Roles in Managing Complex Mass Gathering Events” at the 2025 National Healthcare Coalition Preparedness Conference (NHCPC). Ms. Katie Smith, Ms. Booth, Ms. Keneatha Johnson, Mr. Daniel Bordage, and Ms. Margie McDevitt are joined by Ms. Patricia Frost from the National Pediatric Disaster Coalition during a break at NHCPC.