Organizational Context

The Americas region is frequently affected by emergencies requiring public health interventions by National Societies (NS). National Response Teams (NRTs) are a well‑established mechanism for building NS‑led response capacity: standardized volunteer rosters with recognised training curricula, a certification system, and a regional trainer registry, generally managed through the IFRC CREPD Reference Center. This regional tradition provides a strong institutional foundation for expanding health NRT capacity, promoting the localisation agenda in the Americas.

Based on the success of the global‑level Public Health in Emergencies (PHiE) B‑level training, the global IFRC Health Surge Technical Working Group has recently also made strong progress working on a PHiE A‑level training. A foundations‑focused, competency‑based package designed specifically to support NS in building health NRT capacity is being developed. Existing PHiE‑B materials in Sp...