NETEC honors 54 NSPS STAND Award recipients to enhance special pathogen preparedness
The National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC) announced the healthcare facilities selected to receive funding through the Special Pathogen Treatment and Network Development (STAND) Award, funded by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR). The selected recipients represent 54 hospitals across 28 states and U.S. territories, all committed to strengthening the nation’s readiness to safely manage high-consequence infectious diseases (HCIDs).
Each selected facility will receive up to $500,000 to support infrastructure enhancements, advanced workforce training, and specialized equipment required to meet National Special Pathogen System (NSPS) Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Center (SPTC) standards. These selected facilities will work collaboratively with NETEC, their Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC), their public health leaders, EMS and other partners to build on their preparedness to expand access to specialized care and strengthen regional surge capacity nationwide.
“The selection of these facilities marks a significant milestone for national health security,” said Shelly Schwedhelm, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Executive Director of NSPS. “These hospitals demonstrate strong leadership, commitment, and readiness to build sustainable capabilities that protect patients, health care workers, and communities from special pathogen threats.”
Level 2 SPTCs play a critical role in the NSPS’s federally directed, tiered framework for special pathogen care. These facilities are equipped to provide comprehensive inpatient care throughout the full course of illness for patients with HCIDs, including diseases such as Ebola Virus Disease or Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS CoV), while maintaining rigorous infection prevention and control standards.
In addition to funding, awardees will receive comprehensive technical assistance from NETEC and the Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC) Level 1 network, including training, evaluation tools, and expert consultation to support progress toward readiness.
Selected STAND Award recipients include:
- Allegheny General Hospital (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
- Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
- Boston Children’s Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts)
- Boston Medical Center (Boston, Massachusetts)
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California)
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Children's Mercy Kansas City (Kansas City, Missouri)
- Cooper University Hospital (Camden, New Jersey)
- Dallas County Hospital District D/B/A Parkland Health (Dallas, Texas)
- Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (Lebanon, New Hampshire)
- Geisinger Clinic Medical Center (Danville, Pennsylvania)
- Good Samaritan University Hospital (West Islip, New York)
- Grady Health System (Atlanta, Georgia)
- Guam Memorial Hospital (Tamuning, Guam)
- Harborview Medical Center (Seattle, Washington)
- Hartford Hospital (Hartford, Connecticut)
- Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Indiana University Health: IU Health Methodist Hospital (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Johnson City Medical Center (Johnson City, Tennessee)
- Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (Los Angeles, California)
- Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center (Portland, Oregon)
- Medical University of South Carolina-Health (Charleston, South Carolina)
- Nationwide Children's Hospital (Columbus, Ohio)
- NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst (Elmhurst, New York)
- NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem (New York, New York)
- NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi (Bronx, New York)
- Penn State Hershey Medical Center (Hershey, Pennsylvania)
- Piedmont Columbus Midtown Hospital (Columbus, Georgia)
- Providence Health and Services Washington dba Providence Alaska Medical Center (Anchorage, Alaska)
- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
- Rush University Medical Center (Chicago, Illinois)
- Saratoga Hospital (Saratoga Springs, New York)
- Schneider Regional Medical Center (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands)
- Seattle Children's Hospital (Seattle, Washington)
- Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista, California)
- Sharp Grossmont Hospital (La Mesa, California)
- Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego, California)
- Stony Brook University Hospital (Stony Brook, New York)
- Texas Children's Hospital (Houston, Texas)
- The University of Kentucky Healthcare - Chandler Hospital (Lexington, Kentucky)
- Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- UCHealth: University of Colorado Hospital (Aurora, Colorado)
- UCLA Health, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles, California)
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (Little Rock, Arkansas)
- University of California Davis Health System (Sacramento, California)
- University of Iowa Health Care (Iowa City, Iowa)
- University of New Mexico Hospital (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
- University of Rochester (Rochester, New York)
- University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (Madison, Wisconsin)
- UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
- UVA Health Medical Center (Charlottesville, Virginia)
- Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems (Richmond, Virginia)
- West Virginia University Hospitals (Morgantown, West Virginia)
- Yale New Haven Hospital, Inc. (New Haven, Connecticut)
