|
University develops Pandemic Flu Plan, ensuring strategy for safety |
|
|
|
Tuesday, 20 February 2007 |
 | Wallace
|
by MILLIE TOLLESON
News Reporter
In response to global medical threats, Appalachian State University developed a Pandemic Flu Plan to ensure the campus has an effective strategy.
Cindy A. Wallace, vice chancellor for Student Development, said an emergency management team has been established on campus for years.
“When
the Avian Flu got a lot of attention, we realized we really needed to
pay attention and focus on an infectious crisis plan,” Wallace said.
Although the mortality rate is fairly small for the regular flu, it is
extraordinarily higher for those with the Avian Flu, Wallace said.
Gov. Mike Easley and University of North Carolina system President
Erskine Bowles challenged the universities to develop a pandemic flu
plan about a year ago, she said.
The universities were required to present a rough draft of their plan by Nov. 1, 2006.
“The biggest problem with any crisis is a lack of communication,” Wallace said.
The plan allows for an absentee rate of up to 33 percent of the university community.
Wallace said of the 15,000 students at Appalachian, most families do not live in Boone.
“The plan informs students, faculty and staff here and informs families back home quickly,” Wallace said.
Wallace recommends that each family develop their own communication plan in case of an emergency.
The plan names 15 departments that make up the Operations Group, which
evaluates each aspect of campus to make sure all jobs are still covered
in the event of a pandemic, Wallace said.
According to the plan, some of the tasks include identifying “on-campus
housing to be used as quarantine units,” developing plans to maintain
payroll, and creating a “plan to provide counseling services to
students.”
Wallace said the formation of the plan has allowed the university to
address “things you don’t usually think about and ask good questions.”
Dr. Terry W. Cole, a professor of crisis communication, said based on
his experience with crisis management, determining a way to continue to
meet needs is “pretty standard.”
“You need to prioritize and make sure staff are allocated in a way that needs can be met,” Cole said.
Cole said cross-training, or the ability to move employees around, could also be a beneficial effort.
“In a university, positions are usually so specialized that it might be
hard to do, but many corporations build in a degree of cross-training,”
Cole said.
Cole also hopes the university will create a communication plan to reach both students and parents.
“Communication from students to parents is a big issue,” Cole said. “If
they communicate the plan to parents, hopefully there can be some
encouragement from home for students to [be aware].”
Wallace said, fortunately, pandemics allow for some degree of warning.
“There is no human to human transmission of the disease yet,” Wallace
said. “We have to wait for the bird population to get here.”
Wallace said cases have been confirmed in England in 2007.
“The world is flat. In two days, you are in a very different place,” Wallace said.
Wallace said the Pandemic Flu Plan will be subject to frequent updates.
“The plan will remain a work in progress as the global scene changes,” Wallace said.
Trackback(0)
 |
News 
TrackBack URI for this entry
Show/Hide comments
