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VA » Health Care » VHA Office of Emergency Management » About OEM » Clinical Deployment Teams (CDT)

VHA Office of Emergency Management

Clinical Deployment Teams (CDT)

What is the Clinical Deployment Team (CDT) Program

Clinical Deployment Teams (CDT) provide 360 permanent, clinical staff dedicated to the continuity of Veteran healthcare and support to communities in times of crisis. Never before has the VA dedicated deployment-ready teams to support internal and Fourth Mission requests. Historically the VHA has managed significant disasters that simultaneously require clinical and ancillary staff to be pulled from their facility and deployed. The CDT Program ensures 360 ready to deploy, dedicated staff that are highly skilled, trained in emergency response, and deployment-ready. This model is influenced by VHA’s experience in responding to natural and manmade emergencies, and the COVID 19 Pandemic. The additional 360 CDT staff will complement the current Disaster Emergency Medical Personnel System (DEMPS) program, creating robust response capabilities to ensure continued readiness for our Veterans and those who care for them.

The CDT staffing model will be comprised of Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses or Licensed Vocational Nurses, Providers, and Licensed Clinical Social Workers across 4 clinical areas. These staff will be aligned and supervised at their assigned medical centers (assigned facilities).

Veteran and Medical Staff

Mission

The CDT mission encompasses VA’s core values and reflects the needs of our Veterans and those who care for them.

Quotes – Senior Leaders support of CDT

The Clinical Deployment Team (CDT) program is like no other within VA. This program brings together 360, highly skilled clinicians who are dedicated and trained to respond to natural and manmade emergencies. These staff members are specifically trained in emergency response, complemented by their clinical expertise. I am so proud of the commitment VA has made to ensure quick and robust response when the need arises. It has been an honor to serve as a leader for this enterprise-changing project and to go from concept to implementation. VA is second to none!

Dr. Miguel Lapuz,

Assistant Undersecretary for Health for Integrated Veteran Care

The first three words of the VA Mission Statement are: “To care for.” I cannot think of a more excellent example of how the VA cares for our Veterans, their families, and our nation than the Clinical Deployment Teams. This unique resource provides a cadre of trained, equipped, and prepared medical providers that can quickly deploy to ensure continuity of patient care in VA facilities and support our nation during emergencies or disasters when normal services are disrupted or overwhelmed.

Kevin Thompson,

Associate Director of Support Operations, VHA Office of Emergency Management

Our Veterans deserve healthcare that is second to none. CDT will provide value to our Veterans by:
- Ensuring highly trained VA clinical staff who understand the VA mission and are equipped with ongoing training to maintain continuous emergency management competencies.
- Providing an available workforce that will deliver care in a multitude of modalities (brick or mortar sites, mobile clinics, alternative sites of care, telehealth, etc.).
- Embracing principles by decreasing risk to health and well-being during emergencies and enhancing community resiliency during emergency situations.
- CDT staff will allow immediate response without clinic cancellation, staff movement, and other impediments; assisting and maintaining access for our Veterans.
- The diverse pool of multidisciplinary staff members includes 360 staff in 18 VISNs across 4 clinical service areas: Primary Care, Medical Surgical (Med-Surg), Emergency Department (ED), and Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
- The CDT staffing model is comprised of 20 FTE per each of the 18 Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISNs) across the clinical areas:
- CDT will have scheduled rotations to effectively deploy staff on location within 72 hours. A 4-year deployment schedule has been developed to include rotating deployment months.
- Credentialing & Privileging will occur at assigned facilities, with emergency privileges granted by the receiving site.
- No medical equipment will be procured. Staff will rely upon supplies at the receiving facilities during times of disasters or emergencies.
As a CDT staff member, you’ll be an integral part of supporting the VA’s mission — to provide clinical services to individuals outside of the VA system, including active-duty military personnel and civilians affected by disasters and emergencies.

We are the primary medical back-up system to the Department of Defense and serve as a national asset during disasters and emergencies.Join hundreds of other highly skilled and trained clinical staff — including physicians, nurses, and social workers — who are ready to be called upon in an emergency response. You’ll be part of history, serving on our first dedicated teams for emergency and disaster response.

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