Managing Burns in LSCO: A Continuum of Care (LIVE)-Handout: Mission Zero Acronyms, Key Terms and Definitions

Handout: Mission Zero Acronyms, Key Terms and Definitions

Pdf Summary

MISSION Zero aims to prevent deaths after injury by integrating military trauma personnel into high-volume civilian trauma centers. Military providers maintain critical skills by treating complex injuries, while civilian hospitals gain trained staff and access to battlefield practices. The partnership also supports a more integrated national trauma system prepared for mass casualties, disasters, and public health emergencies.

Established under the 2019 Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, the MISSION Zero Act created grants for military-civilian partnerships. These arrangements strengthen readiness in both settings through shared clinical experience, training, and expertise.

Key preparedness concepts include <strong>load balancing</strong>—distributing patients among hospitals to avoid overwhelming any one facility—and <strong>Military-Civilian Partnerships (MCPs)</strong>, which help military clinicians sustain trauma proficiency during peacetime. The National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), led by the Department of Health and Human Services, coordinates federal medical resources and uses participating civilian hospitals to receive patients during emergencies. Regional Medical Operations Coordination Centers can coordinate routine patient movement and scale up during crises.

The document highlights the potential demands of Large-Scale Combat Operations (LSCO). Planning assumptions call for repatriating 100,000 or more military casualties to the U.S.; one estimate is 1,000 military casualties per day for the first 100 days. This could add roughly 30,000 casualties per month to civilian trauma centers’ existing workload. Domestic attacks on military bases, infrastructure, or logistics could further increase demand.

Federal and military organizations—including ASPR, the Defense Health Agency, Federal Coordinating Centers, and U.S. Northern Command—have roles in preparedness, patient movement, healthcare coordination, and homeland defense. Together, these systems and partnerships aim to expand capacity and ensure patients can receive timely definitive care during major emergencies.

Keywords

MISSION Zero

military-civilian partnerships

trauma centers

mass casualty preparedness

load balancing

NDMS

Large-Scale Combat Operations

patient movement

definitive care

disaster response