Washington, D.C., Oct. 13, 2023 (PAHO)- In order to contribute to the implementation of disaster response simulations and drills in an agile manner and with a methodology that allows testing different scenarios under optimal conditions of information management, coordination and operational management, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), through the Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) initiative, developed the SIMEXamericas platform, a collaborative virtual tool that allows simulation exercises focused on emergency response, pandemics, disasters and humanitarian assistance.
SIMEXamericas arose from the urgency of providing international education and training through a virtual or hybrid learning modality during the global crisis triggered by COVID-19, as well as the need to test the preparedness and response capacity of countries. Therefore, this tool was created to adapt the exercises that were carried out in person to a virtual environment. The tool facilitates direct interaction of participants by performing tasks and exchanging messages in real-time and asynchronously. It also contemplates the integration of the different functional areas, sectors, and entities involved in this type of response.
The experience demonstrated several key benefits related to the implementation of this platform, including the improvement of the operating costs associated with face-to-face workshops, the ability to reach a larger number of participants, the opportunity to track tasks and evaluation processes in real-time, and to share knowledge and lessons learned.
The successful implementation of the platform SIMEXamericas during the COVID-19 pandemic has established it as an invaluable resource that complements and streamlines face-to-face simulation training for first responders. The tool also allowed for post-exercise review of strengths and gaps that may have emerged during the simulated response.
From the beginning of 2022 to today’s date, PAHO has succeeded in training 951 professionals from 15 countries in the region, including first responders and members of the Emergency Medical Team network: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, the United States, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
Three training sessions have been held at the regional level: The first was a simulation within the framework of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Teams (UNDAC) Regional Course and took place in Peru. The II and III Regional Disaster Response Humanitarian Assistance Drills were then held, one based in Guatemala in 2022 and the other in Panama in 2023. In addition, other specific trainings have been carried out with a focus on the development of countries' national capacities, including two earthquake preparedness trainings in El Salvador and Chile, one with a focus on hurricanes in Honduras and another in the Dominican Republic with emphasis on the deployment of Emergency Medical Teams, water management, sanitation and hygiene, and hospital waste management in mobile hospitals.
PAHO/WHO appreciates the financial support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) for the development of the SIMEXamericas platform. Likewise, the trainings provided were possible thanks to the generous financial contributions of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), the Ford Foundation, and the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation (Agencia Catalana de Cooperación al Desarollo). The implementation of this tool contributes to strengthening the response capacity of the countries of the Region to health emergencies and disasters and, therefore, to saving lives.
About the Emergency Medical Teams (EMT)
Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) are teams of health professionals (medical and nursing staff, physiotherapists, paramedics, etc.) that provide direct clinical care to populations affected by emergencies and disasters and support to local health systems. Learn more about EMT Americas
