In 2020, as the world and our nation faced a significant threat due to the surge in COVID-19 patients, a pressing challenge emerged: safeguarding our hospitals from overwhelming demand. The workload of patient care across the Netherlands needed to be spread as effectively as possible. Not only for patients with COVID-19, but for all patients in need. To face this challenge, the National Coordination Center for Patient Evacuation (LCPS) was designed, established and operated with two of our IG&H colleagues in the lead. This was accomplished with a dedicated team of our colleagues, the Dutch army, and experts in the field of acute care, logistics, ICT, statistics and crisis management. The aim of the LCPS was setting up a nationwide system with real-time and projected available hospital- and transport capacities. This allowed for the appropriate distribution of patients across the available healthcare capacity in the Netherlands by maximizing the utilization of existing structures. Given the urgency of the situation and the uncertainty surrounding the rate of patient influx, this all needed to be achieved in a matter of days. The case IG&H will present will immerse you in the decision-making processes and challenges we faced during the initial days of this crisis.