Developing a Plan Part I Pandemic Flu Symposium Saratoga, NY November 8, 2006 Anita L. Barkin, DrPH, MSN,CRNP Carnegie Mellon University ab4x@andrew.cmu.edu One Size Does Not Fit All • Public? Private? • Large? Small? • Communter? Residential? • Urban? Rural? • International student population? Getting Started • Who is responsible for emergency preparedness on your campus? • Who else should you engage in the conversation on your campus to get pandemic planning on the table? • Does your school have an emergency response plan/template? • Can it be adapted for pandemic planning? Getting Started • Identify key members of the pandemic planning committee. – Depth charting • Identify essential functions and personnel. – Depth charting • Identify appropriate channels of communication and chain of command. • Identify the role of student health services. Pandemic Planning Committee Members • Executive management (President, Provost, Chancellor or designees) • Student Health • Public Safety • Environmental Health & Safety • Public Affairs • Government Relations • Facilities Management • Student Affairs (residence life) • International Student Services • Housing • Dining • Human Resources • Risk Management • Telecommunications • Information Technology • Operations and Finance Essential Functions - Campus police/security - Media Relations - Facilities management - Housing and Dining - Human resources - Payroll - Operational/accounting/purchasing - Student Health Services Levels of Emergency Response • WHO - 6 response levels • Carnegie Mellon - 3 response levels – Level One • Pre-event planning to first case of human-to-human transmission – Level Two • Suspected/confirmed cases of sustained human-to-human transmission anywhere in the world – Level Three • Suspected/confirmed cases in the United States WHO Pandemic Phases Health and Safety First Determining Planning Assumptions For Your Campus • What are your campus demographics? • How many students may be unable to go home and will need services (ie. housing, dining, health care)? • How many staff/faculty will be unable to work due to illness? • What kind of services will they need? • What is your capacity to meet the needs? Communications • Internal – Whose in charge? – Establish a central reporting plan for monitoring prevalence of illness, absenteeism, # in isolation and quarantine • HR, Campus Police, Residence Life – Identify all possible means of communicating to various audiences • Communication and technology departments • Communication capabilities, limitations, testing platforms Communications con’t • Provide information to campus community on status of planning, personal emergency preparedness, handwashing – Communicate early and often – Collaborate with media relations – Craft messages in advance – Ensure materials are easy to understand and culturally appropriate – Encourage staff, faculty and students to develop personal emergency plans Communications con’t • External – Establish and maintain communications with local public health authorities, emergency preparedness groups, hospital systems • Identify key contacts • Participate in community planning/drills – Benchmark activities/planning of other like colleges and universities Key Considerations for Student Health Services • Health Service Staff education and preparation – Engage staff in pandemic planning and provide exercises and drills to rehearse plan – Provide regular updates for staff on the latest developments – Vaccinations – Fit testing for N95s – inservices on PPE – Encourage staff to make personal emergency plans – Identify resources for food/on campus shelter Key Considerations for Student Health Services • Supplies/equipment/services – Compile a list – Identify vendors/storage – Cost estimate for stockpiling/storage – Negative pressure rooms – Cleaning services, waste removal Key Considerations for Student Health Services • Clinical Issues – Consult with HR regarding use of volunteers • List of duties, training plan, telephone triage protocols – Plans for setting up an infirmary – staffing, location? – Protocol for monitoring cases in quarantine – Triage and treatment protocols – Care of the deceased – morgue/notification of family – Plans for mass immunization clinics – Clinic signage/voice messages Counseling Services • Anticipate high need • 24/7 counseling for staff, faculty, students • Protocols for providing service via telephone or internet Housing Services • Identify rooms and buildings that could be used for quarantine, isolation and residence for students who cannot go home • Develop a procedure for closure and evacuation of residence halls • Procedures for notifying and relocating students • Housekeeping staff trained in personal protection and proper cleaning • Communication protocols between Housing and Residence Life Dining • Stockpiling and storing non-perishable food stuffs and fluids. • Procedures for delivery to residential areas. • Volunteer staff Campus Security • Procedures for securing buildings, protecting stored supplies • Communication with local police, fire and emergency response. • Protocols for transporting sick students. • Fit for N95s • Equip cars with disinfectants, gloves etc. International Students and Study Abroad • Plans for communicating with students abroad. • Guidelines for closure of study abroad programs. • Procedures for monitoring student travel. • Procedures for communicating to international students about travel restrictions and re-entry. Human Resources • Identify essential personnel and depth charting. • Call-off guidelines and vacation/sick leave guidelines. • Return to work guidelines. • Work-at-home guidelines. • Recruitment of volunteers. • Communications for supervisors and campus work force. Physical Plant • Contingency plans in case of fuel, water and energy shortages – Emergency generators? • Building ventilations systems Academic Affairs • Policies for student absenteeism due to illness/quarantine. • Alternative procedures for completing course work. • At what point in the semester is a grade given? Research • Can some research continue? • Plan for maintaining security in labs. • Plan for care of lab animals. • Plan for specimen storage and managing experiments in progress. Business and Finance • Procedures for rapid procurement of goods. • Continuation of payroll functions. • Financing and emergency funding issues. Admissions/Financial Aid • Plan for reviewing applications and recruiting in absence of face-to-face interviews or campus visits. • Contingency plans for dealing with financial aid, withdrawal from school, other factors related to tuition and registration. Recovery • Criteria for calling an end to the crisis and resuming campus business. • Communication plan for advising students, staff, faculty of plan to resume business. • Timeline for restorations of operations. • Plan to debrief. • Structure for evaluating the effectiveness of the emergency response. Sustaining Effort • Stress steady progress • Stress applicability to other emergency response scenarios • Test the plan and rehearse the response Carnegie Mellon Experience • Started in October 2005 • Used template for emergency response • Dealt with health and safety first • Currently on Version #12 • Had one tabletop with executive decision makers in March • Currently educating various departments and constituencies. • Working on business and academic continuity issues. Carnegie Mellon Experience • Communication infrastructure was inadequate to deal with pandemic • Questions for human resources – Compensation for essential personnel – Call off policies and procedures – Use of volunteers • Needed to be proactive about getting community agencies/resources to table Q&A