The Region 2 Center for Public Health Preparedness and Response (R2C) is launching a new webinar series, R2C in Focus: Building the Evidence for What Works (R2C in Focus), highlighting three evidence-informed approaches designed to strengthen public health preparedness and response.
This series comes at a critical time. Communities across HHS Region 2, which includes New Jersey, New York, New York City, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, are facing more frequent and more severe public health threats driven by climate impacts, epidemic outbreaks, and other emergencies. Meeting these threats will require innovative strategies and new resources across government, business, and nonprofit partners.
The series aims to engage partners, and equip them with the knowledge and tools needed to contribute to the evidence base for public health preparedness and response in Region 2 and beyond. R2C in Focus is intended for public health professionals, community leaders, and educators across Region 2.
The R2C is led by the NYC Preparedness & Recovery Institute (PRI) and works in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Response (CDC). Join us for this series of 90 minute webinars exploring unique, evidence-informed approaches to the complex challenges we face, so we can create a healthier and more resilient Region 2. Learn more and register below:
Building Strong Community Emergency Networks
Thursday, January 15th, 2026 at 10:00 AM via Zoom | Register Here
This session will explore how Community Emergency Networks (CENs), including Coalitions Active in Disaster (COADs), Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOADs) and Long-Term Recovery Groups (LTRGs) can strengthen local preparedness and recovery across Region 2. CENs play a vital role in delivering rapid support, trusted outreach, and essential services that government systems cannot always provide during emergencies. This session introduces the R2C effort aimed at expanding the operational capacity of CENs through a funded engagement opportunity. Attendees will learn about our approach, what evidence we aim to generate, and how to get involved in strengthening community readiness across the region.
Mobilizing High School Surge Teams
Wednesday March 11th, 2026 at 10:00 AM via Zoom | Registration Begins in February
This session will introduce the R2C effort designed to strengthen community preparedness by engaging high school students directly in emergency readiness and surge support. This work provides students with practical insight into public health careers while giving them the knowledge and skills needed to help their communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies. The session will outline our approach, the evidence we aim to generate, and opportunities for schools and partners across Region 2 to get involved.
Enhancing Regional Surge Capacity
Date to Be Announced in Early March via Zoom | Registration TBA
This session will explore R2C’s effort to enhance regional surge capacity through the training, rostering, credentialing, and exercising of jurisdictional public health emergency operations center (EOC) support teams and environmental health strike teams; and to ensure they are available for deployment through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). Many incidents in Region 2 have required rapid mobilization of personnel into leadership and incident management roles that fall outside traditional job functions, often straining operations and increasing burnout. Attendees will learn how the effort is structured, what gaps it aims to close, and how it will improve the region’s ability to respond when time is critical.
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For more information about R2C in Focus, contact Mary Cleary with R2C Webinars in the subject line.