| Coordinated and effective responses to emergencies on campus are guided by the University of Minnesota Emergency Operations Plan. This plan outlines the specific process for managing major emergencies that threaten the health and safety of the campus community and disrupt its programs and activities. The plan identifies departments and individuals that are directly responsible for emergency response and critical support services, and provides a management structure for coordinating and deploying essential resources.
The University’s response to pandemic influenza will be guided by the Emergency Operations Plan. Due to the complicated issues posed by a pandemic and the anticipated extended length of time needed for response, additional planning is warranted to supplement the Emergency Operations Plan.
In May, 2005, the University of Minnesota developed and hosted a pandemic influenza tabletop exercise to explore the unique challenges faced in the university campus setting, and to further refine the respective response roles of the University, state health department, local health departments, and the University of Minnesota Medical Center. Pandemic influenza preparedness objectives have been developed in the following 10 areas based upon the exercise and a review of newly released federal guidelines:
- International Travel
- Targeted Vaccine Distribution
- Essential Personnel, Operations, and Services
- Surveillance and Case Investigation
- Healthcare Needs
- Student Housing Needs
- Communications
- Internal Coordination
- External Coordination
- Providing Service to the Broader Community
A preliminary assessment has been completed regarding each objective. Twenty-one (21) immediate action items have been identified and assigned to individuals or workgroups across the campus to further improve our preparedness in each of these areas. This draft workplan was approved by the AHC Emergency Response Team on November 28, 2005 and by the Emergency Management Policy Committee on November 30, 2005. Since that time, many action items have been completed and the work continues on others. The full workplan and progress report is available for download.
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