NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Launches Specialized Training to Strengthen Infectious Disease Preparedness in Puerto Rico And U.S. Virgin Islands
Initiative includes healthcare workforce and EMS training, emergency response exercises, and support for hospitals selected to develop Level 2 special pathogen treatment capabilities
Nov 10, 2026
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue announced that it is leading specialized training and technical assistance in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to strengthen healthcare and emergency response capabilities for high-consequence infectious diseases, including Ebola, Lassa fever, and other emerging infectious threats. Bellevue Hospital serves as the designated National Special Pathogen System (NSPS) Level 1 Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC) for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Region 2, which includes New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The NSPS is a coordinated national network of healthcare facilities working together to strengthen the nation’s ability to respond to high-consequence infectious diseases. The activities are part of Bellevue Hospital’s ongoing efforts to strengthen special pathogen preparedness across the HHS region. Working with regional partners, including the Puerto Rico Department of Health and the HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Caribbean Area Office, Bellevue Hospital will provide training for healthcare workers and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, conduct an exercise for a simulated patient infected with a special pathogen, and deliver technical assistance.
“Bellevue Hospital has a longstanding commitment to protecting patients, healthcare workers, and communities through preparedness, training, and coordinated emergency response,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Chief Executive Officer Eric Wei, MD, MBA. “As a national leader in special pathogen preparedness and response, we are proud to share our expertise and work alongside our regional partners to strengthen healthcare readiness across Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the broader region.”
“This initiative reflects the close collaboration between the Puerto Rico Department of Health, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, and regional partners, including Bellevue Hospital in New York,” said Puerto Rico Secretary of Health Dr. Víctor M. Ramos Otero. “At the Puerto Rico Department of Health, we have made sustained efforts to strengthen our preparedness and response capabilities for emergencies of this nature. This year alone, we have conducted several tabletop exercises, and just last week, we completed a three-day, hands-on training exercise in collaboration with emergency medical services personnel and Hospital Universitario Dr. Ramón Ruiz Arnau. These efforts provide valuable opportunities to evaluate our protocols, enhance coordination among participating agencies and organizations, and ensure that Puerto Rico is better equipped to respond effectively to public health emergencies.”
The initiative includes assistance for two hospitals in Puerto Rico selected to receive Special Pathogen Treatment and Network Development (STAND) Awards. Administered by the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC), the STAND Award program provides funding and support to help hospitals develop the specialized capabilities needed to serve as Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Centers within the NSPS.
Bellevue Hospital’s team will also travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands to provide technical assistance to the territory’s STAND Award recipient, strengthening local capabilities to safely care for patients with suspected or confirmed high-consequence infectious diseases.
The initiative includes three key components:
- EMS Training and Emergency Transport Exercise: Specialized training for approximately 30 EMS personnel, including a tabletop exercise discussing the transport of a patient with suspected Ebola from a cruise ship to a designated treatment facility.
- Healthcare Workforce Training: Hands-on instruction for more than 40 healthcare workers from multiple hospitals on donning and doffing personal protective equipment (PPE) and other essential special pathogen preparedness skills.
- STAND Award Technical Assistance: On-site visits to Administración de Servicios Médicos de Puerto Rico and Hospital Universitario Dr. Ramón Ruiz Arnau in Puerto Rico, and Schneider Regional Medical Center in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Preparedness for high-consequence infectious diseases requires an integrated, coordinated, and safe response across all components of the healthcare and emergency response systems,” said Puerto Rico Emergency Medical Services Bureau (NCEM) Commissioner Abner Gómez Cortés. “At NCEM, we are responsible for coordinating the logistics and specialized transportation of these patients, while maintaining close and continuous communication with the Puerto Rico Department of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. Our active participation in this initiative, alongside NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, allows us to enhance the skills and readiness of our emergency medical professionals, strengthen biosafety protocols, and expand our operational capacity to respond effectively to these threats. This interagency collaboration reaffirms our commitment to patient safety, the protection of our frontline emergency responders, and the public health of Puerto Rico.”
“Close collaboration between the Government of Puerto Rico, through the Bureau of Emergency Management and Disaster Administration (NMEAD), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, and Bellevue Hospital in New York City is essential for strengthening our response capacity to events that pose a significant risk to public health,” said Puerto Rico Bureau of Emergency Management and Disaster Administration Commissioner Ángel Jiménez Colón. “These training exercises will allow us to integrate capabilities, reinforce protocols, and test the coordination among all the regional components involved.”
To strengthen collaboration across the national preparedness network, Bellevue Hospital invited subject matter experts from HHS Region 4 to participate as trainers. Experts from Emory University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, both Region 4 RESPTCs, will support the training.
“Building a coordinated response to high-consequence infectious diseases requires sustained preparedness across our entire region,” said Vikramjit Mukherjee, MD, Chief of Special Pathogens and Chief of Critical Care at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. “As the Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center for Region 2, Bellevue Hospital works closely with healthcare facilities, public health agencies, and emergency response partners to strengthen the ability to safely identify, isolate, transport, and care for patients. Our work in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands reflects that ongoing commitment to regional preparedness.”
“An emergency is not the time to discover where our systems fall short,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Chief Operating Officer Erfan Karim, MPH. “Effective response depends on the decisions, processes, and relationships we establish well before a crisis. By putting our plans into practice and challenging our assumptions through realistic exercises, we can identify vulnerabilities, improve how our teams operate, and build the resilience needed to respond to the unexpected.”
###
MEDIA CONTACT: BellevuePublicRelations@nychhc.org, 212-562-4516
#260-26
About NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is America’s oldest public hospital, established in 1736. Affiliated with the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the 851-bed hospital is a major referral center for highly complex cases, with 6,000 employees including highly skilled, interdisciplinary clinical staff. The hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Center and annually it sees about 103,000 emergency room visits, and more than 520,000 outpatient visits. Clinical centers of excellence include: Emergency Medicine and Trauma Care; Cardiovascular Services; Bariatric Surgery; Designated Regional Perinatal Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Children’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program; and Cancer Services. For more information on Bellevue, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/bellevue and follow us on Facebook and X (Twitter). Bellevue serves as the HHS Region 2 Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center and is one of three institutional leaders of the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center. Learn more about the HHS Region 2 RESPTC at www.R2RESPTC.org.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.