TCRH Leads the Commonwealth in Advancing Measles Preparedness Through On-Site Assessment

Twin County Regional Healthcare (TCRH), in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), recently completed an extensive and highly collaborative measles preparedness site visit focused on strengthening patient safety, reducing exposure risks, and enhancing infectious disease response practices across the hospital and associated clinics.

TCRH was proud to be the first healthcare facility in Virginia to proactively request an on-site measles readiness assessment and invite the Virginia Department of Health into its facility. This visit was conducted as part of a forward-thinking, preventative approach—not in response to any identified issue—demonstrating the organization’s commitment to preparedness and patient safety.

The visit brought together local and regional epidemiology teams, representatives from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Southwest Virginia Healthcare Coalition, hospital leadership, and frontline healthcare professionals with one shared mission: ensuring the safest possible care for patients, staff, and the community during potential infectious disease outbreaks.

Throughout the walkthrough, the VDH epidemiology team worked side-by-side with Twin County Regional Healthcare leaders to evaluate and discuss real-world response processes within the hospital environment. The team reviewed entrances, emergency department workflows, negative pressure rooms, patient flow in hallways and elevators, intensive care units, pediatric services, and the urgent care clinic at Galax Family Care.

The focus of the collaboration was clear: how can healthcare teams reduce measles exposure and transmission within the building while continuing to provide safe, effective patient care and services?

Measles presents unique challenges due to its highly contagious, airborne nature. The virus can remain in the air for up to two hours after an infected individual has left an area. Statistically, 9 out of 10 unvaccinated individuals who are exposed to measles will become infected, making it one of the most contagious viruses in the world. The most effective protection against measles is vaccination with two doses of the MMR vaccine. Community members are encouraged to contact their primary care provider or local health department with questions regarding vaccination.

During the visit, teams reviewed existing protocols to validate alignment with current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Virginia Department of Health guidance. Leaders and frontline teams proactively discussed practical solutions tailored specifically to the hospital’s layout and patient flow.

Hospital leaders described the visit as an invaluable opportunity to strengthen preparedness efforts through hands-on collaboration.

“Having the Virginia Department of Health team walk through our processes, ask the ‘what if’ questions, and help us problem-solve in real time gave us an entirely new perspective,” said hospital leadership. “Their boots-on-the-ground approach helped turn complex infectious disease response planning into something clear, organized, and manageable.” Said Ashley Hill, RN, Infection Prevention and Employee Health Coordinator.

“This site visit was a good faith collaboration to increase resiliency in infectious disease through awareness,” said Chief Executive Officer William Alley, MHA, BSN, RN. “We gained invaluable administrative insight into clinical needs through the lens of our regulatory partners.”

The site visit included participation from numerous Twin County Regional Healthcare leaders and departments, including clinic leadership, department directors, emergency management and preparedness personnel, the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Nursing Officer, quality leadership, patient safety representatives, plant operations, infection prevention, and additional clinical and operational teams.

The partnership resulted in overwhelmingly positive feedback from all participating organizations and reinforced the importance of strong collaboration between healthcare systems, emergency management partners, and public health agencies.

“This was an extremely productive and dynamic collaboration that demonstrates the value of partnership, preparedness, and proactive planning in delivering safe patient care,” Hill add.

Information and lessons learned from this collaboration were presented by TCRH’s Infection Preventionist to the Virginia Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Group on May 7, 2026, helping to share preparedness strategies and collaborative successes with healthcare professionals across the Commonwealth.