CARPHA Establishes Regional Emergency Operations Centre for 26 Member States

The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) today, Friday 3rd July, 2026 officially inaugurated the CARPHA Regional Emergency Operations Centre (CREOC), marking a major milestone in strengthening the Caribbean’s capacity to prepare for, coordinate, and respond to public health emergencies and disasters.

The facility was inaugurated by The Honourable Dr. Lackram Bodoe, Minister of Health of Trinidad and Tobago, Her Excellency Cécile Tassin, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director of CARPHA, at CARPHA Headquarters in Port of Spain.

Constructed and furnished with the financial resources of  European Union through the 11th EDF Programme of Support for Health Security Strengthening for Prevention and Control of Outbreaks of Communicable Diseases in the Caribbean , the Regional Emergency Operations Centre will serve as the Caribbean’s central hub for coordinating regional public health emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience-building activities across CARPHA’s 26 Member States.

The Honourable Dr. Lackram Bodoe, Minister of Health of Trinidad and Tobago, noted that “Health security is a shared responsibility. No single country, regardless of its resources, can address modern public health threats in isolation. Our strength lies in partnership.” 

Speaking at the inauguration, Dr. Lisa Indar, Executive Director of CARPHA, said: “As a region of Small Island Developing States, our interconnected economies, borders and communities mean that public health threats can spread rapidly across the Caribbean. This Emergency Operations Centre will strengthen our ability to detect threats early, coordinate regional action and protect the health security of our people.”

Her Excellency Cécile Tassin, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, reaffirmed “This Centre represents something much larger: the Caribbean’s determination to work together, to strengthen regional health security, and to protect its people through solidarity, preparedness and shared expertise.”

Designed in accordance with the World Health Organization’s Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) Framework, the CARPHA Regional EOC has been established as a Type C Emergency Operations Centre; the highest level of operational capability within the WHO classification system. It is uniquely positioned to coordinate complex, multi-country public health emergencies while supporting national Emergency Operations Centres throughout the Caribbean.

The Centre enhances CARPHA’s ability to monitor emerging public health threats, coordinate regional preparedness and response activities, facilitate timely information sharing, produce regional risk assessments, mobilise technical expertise, and support evidence-based decision-making during emergencies. 

Powered by CARPHA’s Caribbean-tailored Regional Integrated Early Warning Surveillance and Response System (RIEWSS), the new Emergency Operations Centre provides the infrastructure to detect emerging threats earlier, strengthen situational awareness and coordinate faster, evidence-based emergency responses across the Caribbean. Together with Timeliness Metrics and multisectoral response mechanisms, it will enable CARPHA to better serve its Member States by improving coordination and accelerating action when every minute counts.

Operating as the Region’s central coordination hub, the CREOC will strengthen collaboration among Ministries of Health, disaster management agencies, regional institutions, and international partners. It will also support the deployment of specialised technical teams, coordinate emergency logistics, facilitate risk communication, and maintain a common regional operating picture during public health events.

The establishment of the Centre builds on lessons learned from recent regional emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic, dengue outbreaks, Hurricanes Melissa and Beryl and other climate-related disasters that underscored the importance of coordinated regional action.

The Regional EOC will operate using a scalable activation model ranging from routine surveillance and monitoring through to full regional emergency activation, allowing CARPHA to rapidly expand its coordination functions as situations evolve. It will support responses to infectious disease outbreaks, severe weather events with public health consequences, environmental and chemical incidents, mass gatherings, and other events with regional or international public health implications.

The Centre also strengthens implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005) by enhancing regional surveillance, information management, emergency coordination, and operational readiness.

The inauguration forms part of CARPHA’s continued commitment to advancing regional health security and ensuring that Caribbean countries remain better prepared for current and emerging public health threats.

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