CAPTRS Brings Public Health Coordination Games to Preparedness Summit 2026

At this year’s Preparedness Summit, CAPTRS Senior Vice President of Product Amy Ballew and Lesley-Ann Pont, Hospital Preparedness Program Director and Regional Coordinator at the South Dakota Department of Health, co-led a live session featuring the Command, Control, Communication, and Coordination (C3C) Game. The interactive demo immersed attendees in a fictional H7Nx avian influenza outbreak unfolding in Wicomico County, where a small public health team faced rising hospitalizations, worker absenteeism at poultry facilities, and increasing school absenteeism.

Participants stepped into the role of public health team leaders, tasked with assessing the threat, identifying which agencies and partners needed to be engaged, and determining who was responsible for key response actions. The session walked attendees through C3C’s signature structure: individual threat assessment, facilitated group discussion, and a full-group debrief as new information emerged across two escalating rounds of play.

In a crisis, cross-agency coordination is critical, yet traditional preparedness training often falls short of replicating the complexity and pace of real-world decision-making. The C3C Game helps bridge the gap between independent agency response plans by surfacing coordination gaps and misalignments before a real emergency occurs. Rather than relying on abstract protocols alone, the game transforms preparedness into a collaborative, practice-based experience that strengthens operational coordination and decision-making under pressure.

“Preparedness is everyone’s responsibility. C3C makes it everyone’s practice,” said Ballew.

Pont also shared how the C3C Game supported her team at the South Dakota Department of Health during an influenza-focused exercise in October 2025. Reflecting on the experience, she noted that the game “turned the room into a hub of energy, discussion, and collaboration.” Following the exercise, Pont observed increased engagement in reviewing plans, along with departments proactively reaching out to one another to collaborate on future planning efforts.

In addition to C3C, the CAPTRS team brought the A3P Game and the ICS Roles Game to the Summit. A3P (Assess, Align, and Activate for Preparedness) helps participants strengthen situational awareness and team alignment in uncertain environments, while the ICS Roles Game transforms the complexity of the Incident Command System into a fast-paced, card-based learning experience. The ICS Roles Game pairs naturally with C3C as an engaging warm-up that builds shared ICS fluency before larger coordination exercises.

C3C is built on an all-hazards framework with multiple scenario options adaptable to a range of preparedness needs. CAPTRS is proud to partner with public health agencies, hospital preparedness coalitions, emergency managers, and academic institutions to help strengthen coordinated response capabilities through immersive, discussion-based gaming. To learn more or bring CAPTRS games to your team, visit captrs.org/games-catalog or contact information@captrs.org.