AHHA Convenes Hospitals for Training to Boost Statewide Emergency Readiness

To strengthen Alaska’s resilience against large-scale medical surge emergencies, the Medical Emergency Readiness Group (MERG), in partnership with the Alaska Hospital and Healthcare Association (AHHA), hosted a training event on September 17 featuring a new solution to create more capacity in hospitals: converting a hotel into a hospital. 

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The training engaged 42 attendees from 24 facilities and organizations including hospitals and long-term care facilities across the state, State of Alaska Department of Health, medical transport, fire rescue, clinics and a community health center.

Funded at no cost to attendees through a federal grant secured by the University of Colorado, the Hotel to Hospital (H2H) training program uses interactive, small group activities to introduce the H2H concept to help healthcare systems respond to prolonged patient capacity needs such as pandemic surges or major disasters.

Traditional Alternate Care Facilities (ACF) —such as convention centers or sports arenas—often lack private rooms, dedicated HVAC controls, and basic plumbing, limiting the level of clinical care they can offer.  Hotels provide these necessities.  And the H2H project is a structured and validated blueprint to rapidly convert commercial hotels into functional hospital units.

Team Colorado, a coalition of University of Colorado Hospital physicians and All Clear Emergency Management Group supported by architects, engineers, clinicians, and construction managers, created a H2H Conversion Guidebook Package that describes the conversion of a hotel into a hospital within four weeks.  The concept was proven in a 2025 pilot demonstration at the Hyatt Regency Denver-Aurora where the team converted portions of the hotel into medical-surgical rooms and intensive care units (ICU) along with fully integrated hospital support services like radiology, point-of-care lab testing, and pharmacy.

Alaska emergency planners are exploring this model to evaluate its potential application across the state’s distinct geography and infrastructure constraints.

Expanding Alaska’s Emergency Response Network 

The Joint Medical Emergency Preparedness Group (JMEPG) was founded in 1978 to serve the health and medical community by providing a space to collaborate on preparedness issues. The group has evolved over the years, changing its name in 2026 to Medical Emergency Readiness Group (MERG) and expanding its regional focus to a statewide effort.

Through partnership with AHHA, the workgroup unites healthcare emergency managers across urban and rural Alaska with a mission to promote healthcare preparedness, and support communities and member organizations, while providing a space for collaboration remains the same. The group's focus is on joint training, education priorities, and network building.