Cooper University Health Care has been invited to join the Bridging Forces portal, a platform developed through the Military Health System Strategic Partnership American College of Surgeons (MHSSPACS). The invitation reflects Cooper’s strong engagement in advancing collaboration between military and civilian trauma systems.
The Bridging Forces portal connects military and civilian health care organizations with the shared goal of strengthening trauma care readiness and improving outcomes for patients injured in both civilian settings and combat environments. Cooper’s participation follows an extensive evaluation process, including both onsite and written assessments conducted as part of the MHSSPACS.
Through participation in the portal, Cooper will collaborate with institutions across the country to expand training opportunities, share best practices, and advance innovative approaches to trauma care. The initiative supports military-civilian partnerships designed to ensure that both military and civilian medical teams are prepared to deliver the highest level of care during critical emergencies.
The benefits of collaboration include improved survival rates through shared protocols and faster access to definitive care; enhanced readiness for military clinicians during peacetime; better disaster response because of interoperable systems; innovation driven by cross‑sector learning (e.g., hemorrhage control, rapid evacuation); and global knowledge exchange through multinational studies and partnerships.
“Military-civilian partnerships are essential to maintaining trauma readiness,” said Cooper trauma surgeon Dr. John Chovanes, founding medical director and chief surgeon of Cooper’s Section of Military, Diplomatic, and Field Surgical Affairs and a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps.
“By working together and sharing knowledge between military and civilian teams, we strengthen our ability to deliver lifesaving care in the most challenging circumstances — whether on the battlefield or in our communities.”
The portal also serves as an educational resource to help organizations develop new military-civilian partnerships, identify training opportunities, and strengthen coordination between trauma programs nationwide.
Cooper serves as a Level I Trauma Center for southern New Jersey and is one of the busiest trauma centers in the region. Cooper has trained elite medical providers from every branch of the U.S. military, along with multiple local, state, and federal agencies and international partners.