ATS also co-chairs the TIIDE Model Communities Project. "Model communities" represent those communities wherein the relationship between the emergency care community and the public health community are well established and well practices. Characteristics include:
- Strong medical oversight in both public health and emergency care
- A desire and an effort to educate both emergency care and public health providers about each others' role
- Recognition of the role of and a commitment to developing and maintaining relationships between leadership through regular meetings, teambuilding exercises, and planning
- Bringing community stakeholders (businesses, clinics, universities, etc.) into the planning process
- Creating disaster plans that are developed locally, involve public health and emergency care, and that are repeatedly drilled
- Aggressively pursuing and securing funding.
The goal of the TIIDE partnership is to create a model nation, comprised of model communities. In 2006, seven communities from across the nation were selected as best practice models for emergency EMS and public health interoperation. Each TIIDE partner sponsored travel expenses for a Model Community representative to attend a conference in Atlanta so that they could share their experiences. In 2007, five new communities were selected for the Model Communities Initiative, and in 2008, six more were added. Learn more about these communities and the EMS-public health relationship from the CDC website.