Successful Measles Tabletop Exercise Strengthens System Readiness

On Wednesday October 8th, 2025, teams across Carilion came together for a systemwide Measles Tabletop Exercise (TTX) designed to test and strengthen our preparedness for a suspected case of measles. The session brought together clinical and operational leaders from across CRMH, outpatient practices, and urgent care sites to walk through realistic scenarios and reinforce coordinated response efforts.

The exercise facilitated by the Infection Prevention and Control and Emergency Management, included three modules simulating patient presentations in the Emergency Department, a Pediatrician’s Office, and Velocity Care. Each scenario challenged participants to apply infection prevention protocols, activate airborne precautions, communicate with internal and external stakeholders, and coordinate patient transfers safely and efficiently.

Collaborative Success

A special thank you to the many departments who participated, including:

Emergency Department
Pediatrics - Outpatient and Inpatient
Velocity Care
Infection Prevention and Control
Employee Health
Emergency Management and CTAC
CRMH Clinical Admin
Corporate Communications
Local Health Department partners from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH)

A special thank you to the leaders from the above departments who served on the exercise planning committee:

Joe Coyle & Lori Griffith – Emergency Management
Vanessa Givens & Melila Hunter – Peds Admin and Outreach
Wrenn Brendel – VP, ED Admin
Kathy Oakley – Employee Health
Lisha Osborne & Kimberly Ramsey – Peds Inpatient
Dr. Keele & Melissa Wolfe - Peds Quality
Heather Bender – Velocity Care
Heather Bramblett – CRMH Clinical Admin

Your engagement and teamwork demonstrated Carilion’s commitment to patient safety and system preparedness.

Leadership Acknowledgments

We extend our sincere appreciation to the leaders who were able to participate:

Dr. Tom Kerkering, Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control, for his expert leadership and guidance.
Kathy Oakley, Director of Employee Health, for highlighting our organization’s plans for the protection of our team members during infectious disease responses.
Dr. Linda Keele, Quality Director for Pediatrics, for serving as validator and championing pediatric safety and collaboration during the exercise.
Amy Keagles, Senior Director of Pediatrics, for serving as a validator and supporting the clinical accuracy and realism of the pediatric scenarios.
Dr. Ryan Fulton, Pediatric Community Physician, for representing our community providers and contributing valuable frontline insight during the tabletop discussions.
Laurie Fuchs, Director of CTAC, for her leadership in coordinating operational readiness and communication systems.
Tiffany Holland, Corporate Communications for highlighting Marketing and Communications role in ensuring effective internal and external messaging during infectious disease responses.
Our VDH partners, whose collaboration and expertise strengthen our public health partnership and community response.