RESPTC | Special Pathogen Preparedness

About our program

Since 2014, Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital and Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital have been designated as Tier 1 Special Pathogen Treatment Centers. In September 2022, Corewell Health committed to being one of 13 Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Centers (RESPTCs) in the nation, funded by a federal grant, to support the National Special Pathogen System (NSPS) in preparing the health care system, protecting the health care workforce, and responding to special pathogen events.

Exterior view of Corewell Health Grand Rapids Hospitals - Butterworth.

Being a RESPTC places Corewell Health among an elite group of 13 hospitals in the country equipped to treat special pathogen patients. We regularly engage with the other centers, present best practices at conferences, and serve as subject matter experts for FEMA Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin), providing education, training, and expertise.

The Special Pathogen Unit (SPU) at Corewell Health consists of the 12 South rooms on Butterworth 9 Center and includes a free-standing SPU lab. The Special Pathogen Response Team (SPRT) consists of approximately 70 active team members who maintain compliance by attending quarterly trainings and exercises.

Special Pathogen Response Team

The Special Pathogen Response Team is a diversified team of providers, nurses, patient care technicians, medical technologists, and other healthcare professionals. This team trains on a quarterly basis, focusing on caring for patients in the complex, high-stress environment of highly contagious infectious diseases. Training focuses on: the identify, isolate, and inform process; donning and doffing level 1 PPE; donning and doffing level 2 PPE; bioburden reduction; waste management; provider down; decedent care; transportation; and general medical skills completed in PPE. The SPRT is also involved in no less than 4 large exercises annually, which test our processes. Training and exercising at Corewell Health focuses on protecting our team members, patients, and visitors from incidental exposure, putting safety at the heart of our training.