Statewide Medical and Health Exercise (SWMHE)

​The SWMHE Program consists of objective driven exercise templates and generic exercise templates to assist jurisdictions, organizations and facilities participate in the yearly exercise. The program utilizes the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) and aligns with Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) and Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) grant requirements.

The SWMHE Program is customizable to fit the needs of any organization, jurisdiction or facility. You can change the scenario, exercise date, objectives, or any other details to fit your needs.

A Multi-Year Integrated Preparedness Plan (IPP), formerly Multi-Year Training and Exercise Plan (MYTEP), has been developed for the SWMHE program. The IPP is updated annually and provides suggested capabilities, scenarios, and focus regions for future years.

The SWMHE is an annual exercise facilitated by CDPH and the California Emergency Medical Service Authority. The exercise scenarios align with the PHEP and HPP grant requirements. SWMHE provides an opportunity to engage at the state level and meet exercise requirements. Participation is strongly encouraged, though local jurisdictions are NOT REQUIRED to participate and can instead conduct their own exercises to fulfill grant requirements.​​

For the past few years, due to the COVID-19 response, many exercise requirements for PHEP, HPP, and Pan Flu recipients were waived and the SWMHE itself was postponed. In alignment with the grant requirements of the new five year project period beginning July 1, 2024 and after discussion with the workgroup, the next state sponsored SWMHE is proposed to take place in April of 2025 and annually thereafter.​