Press Release

CINCINNATI, OH (September 30, 2024) — UC Health officially opened the new state-of-the-art Emergency Preparedness & Response Center (EPRC) during a ceremony on Monday. Patients, community leaders, first responders, and emergency management teams from the Greater Cincinnati region were in attendance.  

Located at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center campus in Uptown Cincinnati, the cutting-edge facility is anticipated to set new standards for emergency care and management in communities across the nation. 

"As a leader in emergency preparedness, UC Health is honored to launch the Emergency Preparedness & Response Center, a resource that will not only serve the Greater Cincinnati area but also is designed with the potential to support local, state and federal first responders," stated Cory Shaw, president and CEO of UC Health.  "This center elevates our region's preparedness to a new level." 

The UC Health EPRC is designed for the next major large-scale incident and mass casualty emergency, including natural disasters, mass shootings, infrastructure failures and pandemics.  

The EPRC’s design ensures that it can transform quickly into a fully operational emergency management hub to deliver specialized, life-saving care to patients in the event of a critical or mass casualty incident. Its design and capabilities are expected to make it the most comprehensive facility to be mobilized in an emergency medical response in the nation. 

This flexible space can add 50% more capacity at UC Medical Center in the event of a large-scale disaster, providing a new benchmark for readiness, response speed, and full-scope care in a variety of emergency scenarios.

“As a Bearcat, physician, and a lifelong Ohioan, I have seen firsthand the success that UC Health has had as a national center of excellence for trauma care. The physicians, nurses, and support teams here provide vital and life-saving health care to our community each and every day, and I am pleased to see the forward-thinking vision UC Health has incorporated as their facilities expand so they can continue to serve our region and beyond with the highest level of care," said Rep. Brad Wenstrup, D.P.M.

The EPRC is also set to serve as a training center for medical personnel and emergency management partners. UC Health leads and coordinates regional and national trainings each year for emergency medical personnel, including a strong collaboration with EMS, first responders, SWAT, and military medicine teams as part of the health system’s dedication to research and teaching. 

"Preparedness is a necessity in an ever-changing world,” said Gregory Fermann, MD, UC Health Chair of Emergency Medicine and professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. “Effective training for mass casualty incidents ensures that our teams can respond swiftly, make critical decisions under pressure and save lives when every second counts. By investing in continuous training and research, we strengthen our resilience and ability to handle the unexpected, protecting our communities and the people we serve."

UC Health offers 24/7 life-saving specialty and subspecialty trauma and emergency medicine care. UC Medical Center is Greater Cincinnati’s only verified adult Level I trauma center, and West Chester Hospital serves as a Level III trauma center. The health system’s leadership played a pivotal role in coordinating emergency medical responses in our region, including the 2018 shooting at Fifth Third Bank on Fountain Square and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Inspired by lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the new $8 million EPRC is part of a public-private partnership, including federal and state funds, for UC Medical Center’s Emergency Department expansion. 

The 77,000 sq. ft. expansion of UC Medical Center’s existing Emergency Department was designed to improve patient capacity and flow. It features the nation’s first inpatient flex ICU, the region’s only Donor Care unit, and a 28-bed medical inpatient unit.   

As Greater Cincinnati’s only adult academic health system, UC Health employs over 10,500 and serves patients from across the United States with over two million visits annually. In partnership with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, UC Health combines clinical expertise and compassion with research and teaching to provide patients with treatment options for even the most complex situations.  

The health system includes four inpatient campuses, 70+ outpatient offices and nationally recognized specialty care centers, including the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center and the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute. 

For more information about the Emergency Preparedness & Response Center or to learn more about preparing for unexpected medical emergencies, visit UCHealth.com/services/emergency-medicine.