Health centers must conduct preparedness exercises to meet certification requirements from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). While this requirement provides opportunities to evaluate and improve organizational emergency plans, train staff, and effectively coordinate with partners, many consider it as one of the most difficult aspects of their organizational emergency management program due to required time and resources.

Our new 12-part webinar series, “Preparedness Exercises Made Easy: A Guide to Prepare Smarter, Not Harder,” is designed to equip attendees with the knowledge and practical skills necessary to develop and execute their own preparedness exercises with ease. Starting with a general introduction to preparedness exercises, the series covers the foundational elements of a comprehensive exercise program, the eight-step process for designing exercises, exercise evaluation and improvement planning activities, as well as an in-depth look at three most popular exercise types.

Each individual session of the series will provide attendees with the building blocks and resources to jumpstart their own exercise development. The final session of the series will allow participants to apply their knowledge in real time by participating in a demo tabletop exercise that they helped design!

Important:

• Although this series was designed primarily for health centers, other types of organizations will find the information and the tools provided equally applicable to their environments.
• Each webinar session may be purchased individually, except sessions 4 and 5 that should be accessed together.
• Associations and other membership organizations are welcome to participate, however, they are not allowed to transfer webinar content to their members, who are welcome to purchase their own access.

Please note: This webinar series is offered as a complimentary product to all Health Center Compliance Training Plan subscribers. For more information on our Health Center Compliance Training Plan, click here or contact us.

The webinar series consists of 12 60-minute sessions: 

Webinar 1: Introduction to Exercise Design: Setting Up the Stage
January 13, 2025 at 1 p.m. ET

• The inaugural session will explore why organizations need to have expertise with preparedness exercises. We will identify benefits and challenges of creating effective exercises, as well as provide practical resources to kick-off your own organizational testing program.
  • Key Words: preparedness, HSEEP, design

Webinar 2: Comprehensive Exercise Program: Defining Basic Building Blocks
February 10, 2025 at 1 p.m. ET

• In the second session in the series, we will identify the basic components of a comprehensive exercise program and provide an overview of main types of exercise activities that make it up.
  • Key Words: component, exercise type, activity

Webinar 3: The Exercise Planning Cycle: Creating a To-Do List for a Successful Exercise
March 10, 2025 at 1 p.m. ET

• In this session, we will review the process used to plan and implement a single exercise within a comprehensive program. We will discuss and define key exercise design documents, as well as consider best practices for assembling the exercise design team.
  • Key Words: planning, team, documentation

Webinar 4: Exercise Design and Development, Part 1: Understanding Core Components, Steps 1-4
April 7, 2025 at 1 p.m. ET

• In this session, we will start learning about the eight-step process for designing an exercise. Part 1 will focus on steps 1 through 4 of the exercise design sequence, which includes assessing exercise needs, defining its scope and purpose, and writing clear objectives.
  • Key Words: scope, assessment, objective

Webinar 5: Exercise Design and Development, Part 2: Understanding Core Components, Steps 5-8
May 5, 2025 at 1 p.m. ET

• This session is Part 2 of the exercise design and development review and will focus on steps 5 through 8 of the exercise design sequence, i.e., best practices for creating an exercise scenario, identifying expected actions, and composing exercise messages and communication.
  • Key Words: scenario, communication, action

Webinar 6: The Tabletop Exercise: Simulating an Emergency Through a Discussion
June 2, 2025 at 1 p.m. ET

• In this session, we will start exploring specific types of exercises, starting with the tabletop exercise. We will review its workings and the facilitator’s role, providing guidelines for effective facilitation. Lastly, we will apply previously learned exercise design steps to this exercise.
  • Key Words: tabletop, facilitator, discussion

Webinar 7: The Functional Exercise: Emergency Testing Through a Simulation
July 14, 2025 at 1 p.m. ET

• In this session, we will focus on the functional exercise. We will look closely at the characteristics of the functional exercise - how it differs from the tabletop, who participates, how it works, and key design considerations.
  • Key Words: functional, exercise, simulation

Webinar 8: The Full-Scale Exercise: Understanding the Most Complex Exercise Type
August 11, 2025 at 1 p.m. ET

• In this session, we will look at full-scale exercises. We will zoom in on design differences between full-scale and functional exercises. We will also identify planning considerations for managing and conducting such exercises.
  • Key Words: full scale, comparison, considerations

Webinar 9: Exercise Evaluation: Collecting Information That Matters
September 8, 2025 at 1 p.m. ET

• In this session, we will discuss the importance of evaluation and its relationship to exercise development, evaluation team structure and duties, key aspects of evaluation methodology, and evaluation tasks that happen after the exercise is finished.
  • Key Words: evaluation, documentation, methodology

Webinar 10: After-Action Report and Improvement Planning: Making Plans Better
October 6, 2025 at 1 p.m. ET

• In this session, you will learn how to compile exercise findings in the after-action report. We will discuss individual responsibilities when it comes to compiling an after-action report, its form and formatting options. We will also look at best practices for improvement.
  • Key Words: report, improvement, planning

Webinar 11: Practical Applications: Assembling Pieces Together
November 10, 2025 at 1 p.m. ET

• In this session, we will put to practice the skills and knowledge that attendees have learned so far in the series by compiling a sample exercise together. We will also discuss how to make exercises exciting by enhancing them further.
  • Key Words: enhancement, practice, resource

Webinar 12: Exercise Simulation: Putting Theory to Practice
December 9, 2025 at 1 p.m. ET

• In the last session of the series, attendees will be invited to participate in a demonstration tabletop exercise designed using the concepts reviewed over the course of the year. We will also explore additional resources, discuss possible challenges, and review any remaining questions.
  • Key Words: demonstration, tabletop, resource