While the RDPC effort has been successful, the author notes that the process was long and change was slow to implement. Funding for the project was also a challenge and there remains no dedicated source of finding for the RDPC project. Despite these challenges, the RDPC experience has been illuminating and has set an example of coordinated care management during disasters. The goal of the RDPC is to bring together the diverse medical talents in the Philadelphia region to coordinate response to large-scale disasters. In developing the RDPC regional coordination system, the Committee first examined the types of hazards that were possible or likely to occur in the Philadelphia region, including weather incidents, utility disasters, transportation disasters, and manmade attacks. The RDPC divided the area’s hospitals into 10 geographic zones called Emergency Health Support Zones in order to facilitate rapid response by smaller units segmented by location. Building relationships among the hospitals assigned to like regions was a key component in the success of the RDPC. Long-standing bureaucracy structures were bypassed by convening regular meetings between hospitals and sharing information in an open and unguarded fashion. Once the structure was in place, regular RDPC members included zone chairs and representatives from select agencies, such as the Red Cross, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Attorney General’s Office, and county and State public health and emergency management officials. Quarterly meetings facilitate the continued collaboration and emergency management planning of the RDPC. Mutual aid agreements within and across the 10 geographic zones are also considered a key component to the RDPC success. Mutual agreements set protocols for hospital evacuations, reporting bed capacity and capability, staffing, and other important details. Exhibits