Five-year collaboration will strengthen training and preparedness, expand access to specialized clinical expertise, and promote knowledge exchange to help countries rapidly scale up trauma and emergency care during disasters and other health emergencies.
Washington, D.C., 29 September 2026 (PAHO) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Panamerican Trauma Society (PTS) signed a new framework agreement to strengthen Emergency Medical Team preparedness and countries’ capacity to rapidly expand trauma and emergency care during disasters and other health emergencies across the Americas.
The agreement was signed in Washington, D.C. during PAHO’s 63rd Directing Council, which brings together the highest health authorities from across the Region.
Emergencies can rapidly overwhelm health services, particularly when large numbers of injured people require emergency surgery, critical care, or other specialized services at the same time. Major disasters can also damage health facilities and disrupt referral networks.
The five-year agreement will provide a framework for PAHO and PTS to combine their respective expertise and professional networks to help countries enhance Emergency Medical Team preparedness and trauma care capacity before emergencies occur and rapidly scale up quality care when they do.
“The ability to respond effectively to a disaster is built before the emergency happens,” said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO. “By strengthening training, preparedness and access to specialized expertise, this agreement will help countries build the capacities they need to respond quickly when demand for trauma and emergency care suddenly increases.”
The agreement follows recent joint efforts during the response to the 2026 earthquakes in Venezuela, where PAHO, PTS and the University of Miami worked together to establish a remote Specialized Care Team, providing peer clinical specialist consultation to support deployed Emergency Medical Teams and referral health facilities.
Under the agreement, PAHO and PTS will collaborate on training, simulation exercises, preparedness assessments, technical exchanges and after-action reviews to strengthen countries’ readiness for emergencies.
The organizations will also explore ways to strengthen specialized clinical support during emergencies, including through remote clinical support and deployable Specialized Care Teams that can reinforce national health services.
PAHO and PTS will also promote communities of practice connecting specialists in trauma and emergency surgery, critical care, prehospital emergency medical services and other areas. Collaboration on operational research, case studies and technical products will help capture and share experiences and lessons from emergency preparedness and response.
The collaboration builds on PAHO’s Emergency Medical Teams Initiative (EMTs), which works with countries to strengthen national capacities and coordination mechanisms for emergency medical response, including the development of EMTs that can provide timely, coordinated and quality clinical care during emergencies.
The agreement supports PAHO’s broader efforts to strengthen countries’ preparedness for health emergencies and ensure that national health systems can rapidly mobilize quality clinical care when emergencies and disasters create sudden increases in demand.
About PAHO
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) works with the countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of their populations. Founded in 1902, it is the world’s oldest international public health agency. PAHO serves as the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for the Americas and is the specialized health agency of the Inter-American System.
About the Panamerican Trauma Society
The Panamerican Trauma Society (PTS) is an international professional society dedicated to improving trauma care throughout the Americas. It promotes the exchange of knowledge and information among physicians, nurses, prehospital providers and other health professionals involved in the care of injured patients, and supports education, research and professional collaboration.
