Sharing Sessions: How Pennsylvania Hospitals are Strengthening their Response to Measles

November 04, 2026

HAP’s Measles Preparedness and Response Sharing Series brings together hospital professionals to share real-world experiences, discuss emerging challenges, and exchange practical approaches to protecting patients, staff, and communities.

Recent measles exposures are prompting hospitals to strengthen response plans, refine screening protocols, and ensure clinical teams are prepared to identify and manage potential cases.

During the second session of the series, representatives from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and St. Luke’s University Health Network shared their approaches to combating this highly infectious disease.

CHOP presented its multidisciplinary Measles Emergency Response Taskforce, which provides “one coordinated response across disciplines,” said Matthew Butler, senior director, emergency preparedness and business continuity, Office of Preparedness, Prevention and Response with CHOP.

The taskforce brings together clinical, operational, infection prevention, communications, and community engagement teams to address exposures, patient care, visitor management, screening, and public health coordination. Its work has included expanding testing capabilities, increasing isolation capacity, refining screening procedures, and developing centralized resources for staff and families.

St. Luke’s University Health Network discussed its risk-based approach to infectious disease screening, which includes:  signage, in-person screening, electronic medical record prompts, and specialized screening procedures for high-risk areas such as the NICU and Labor and Delivery.

By building screening into existing workflows, the health system aims to identify potentially infectious patients early, initiate appropriate precautions, and quickly alert clinical staff. Both presentations emphasized the importance of collaboration, clear communication, and scalable processes in strengthening organizational readiness.

Here’s a few key takeaways:

• Establish a coordinated, multidisciplinary response:  A dedicated taskforce with clear leadership, defined responsibilities, and representation from clinical and operational teams helps ensure an organized, consistent response while allowing multiple priorities to be addressed simultaneously.
• Build scalable preparedness plans:  Start with a small core team, assign essential responsibilities, and bring in additional expertise as needed.
• Integrate screening into existing workflows:  Registration screening, electronic health record prompts, and specialized procedures for high-risk units can help identify potential exposures and ensure timely isolation and awareness for clinical staff.
• Prioritize clear, consistent communication:  Centralized information resources, updated signage, staff education, and coordinated messaging for patients and families help ensure everyone has access to accurate information.
• Strengthen partnerships and learn from shared experiences:  Collaboration among hospitals, public health agencies, affiliates, and community organizations helps align response efforts, share resources, minimize duplication, and strengthen preparedness across the health care community.
• Quotable:  “We take a tiered approach to crisis response. Not every response requires a big heavy tool,” Butler said.

HAP thanks the hospital community for taking part in these important sharing sessions. Register for the upcoming sessions online.