Planning Strategies in Higher Education

1
Planning Strategies in Higher Education

• PASSHE Pandemic Planning Best Practices Summit
• January 26, 2007
• Anita L. Barkin, DrPH, MSN,CRNP
• Carnegie Mellon University
• ab4x_at_andrew.cmu.edu

2
Topics covered

• What are we planning for?
• How do you get started?
• What are potential triggers for moving plans to
  action?
• What are appropriate planning assumptions?
• How do you approach a somewhat daunting task?
• How do you sustain effort?

3
A 1918-Like Pandemic Would Take a Significant
Toll Today

• Congressional Budget Office estimates 4.75
  reduction in U.S. GDP, not including years of
  productivity lost
• Source presentation Education Association by Dr.
  Cetron (CDC) and Dr. Mecher (Veteran Affairs)
  9/21/06

4
Epidemiology Drives Approach
Source Dr. Cetron (CDC) and Dr. Mecher (Veteran
Affairs)
5
A Layered Approach
International Containment-at-source Support
efforts to reduce transmission Travel
advisories Layered screening of travelers Health
advisories Limited points of entry
Individual / Household Hand hygiene Cough
etiquette Infection control Living space
control Isolation of ill Designated care
provider Facemasks
Community Isolation of ill Treatment of
ill Quarantine of exposed Prophylaxis of
exposed School closure Protective sequestration
of children Social distancing - Community -
Workplace Liberal leave policies
Source Dr. Cetron (CDC) and Dr. Mecher (Veteran
Affairs)
6
One Size Does Not Fit All

• Public? Private?
• Large? Small?
• Commuter? Residential?
• Urban? Rural?
• International student population?

7
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?

8
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.

9
Organized Response
Executive Steering Group
Pandemic Preparedness Committee
Dept. Teams
Dept. Teams
Dept. Teams
Dept. Teams
10
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

11
Essential Functions

• Campus police/security
• Media Relations
• - Facilities management
• - Housing and Dining
• Human resources
• Payroll
• - Operational/accounting/purchasing
• - Student Health Services

12
Planning Assumptions

• Attack rate - 25-50
• Sickness rate 4-12
• Normal flu is 5-10
• Absenteeism
• 25-35 for 5-8 days over a 3 month period
• Difficult to impossible to travel
• Disruptions and shortages of fuel, food stuffs,
  health care

13
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?

14
WHO Pandemic Phases
15
Levels of Emergency Response

• Carnegie Mellon - 3 response levels
• Level One
• Pre-event planning no or very limited
  human-to-human transmission
• Level Two
• Sustained cases of human-to-human transmission of
  a highly virulent strain of pandemic influenza in
  a city (cities) with an international airport
• Level Three
• Cases of pandemic influenza in Pittsburgh and/or
  the surrounding metropolitan area (only personnel
  performing essential functions required to report
  to campus)

16
Structure and Principle Players

• Assessment team (FMS, EHS, Student Health,
  Campus Police)
• Incident Commander
• Facilities Management
• Environmental Health Safety
• Presidents office and Executive Management
• Media Relations
• Campus EMS
• Housing and Dining
• Risk Management
• Medical Services
• Computing and Telecommunications
• Student Affairs and Residence Life
• Human Resources

17
Health and Safety First
18
Health and Safety First

• Communications - internal and external
• Decision making and information flow
• Computing and telecommunications
• Student Health Services and Counseling Services
• Residence Life
• Housing and Dining
• International students and study abroad
• Human Resources-payroll
• Campus Police

19
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

20
Communications cont

• 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

21
Communications cont

• 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

22
State and Local Health Departments
Threat Immunization Lab Services
College and University Campuses
23
After Health and Safety.

• Research
• Business and Finance
• Academic Affairs
• Admissions/Financial Aid
• Recovery planning

24
Three Levels of Closure

• Objectives
• Reduce the surge of cases and deaths
• Provide essential care for ill students
• Maintain critical operations and support services
• House and support students who cannot leave
  (shelter-in-place)
• Support continuity of research enterprise

25
Closure Stage One

• Closure in Level Two
• Social distancing
• Establish health clinics
• Research can continue with appropriate distancing
  and if safety can be maintained
• Work from home as determined appropriate by
  supervisor or in offices with appropriate
  distancing measures
• Travel restrictions

26
Closure Stage Two

• Occurs in Level Three
• Isolation of the ill
• Personal protective equipment in use
• Critical infrastructure maintained with
  identified personnel
• Experimental research is not permitted due to
  limited personnel and safety. Research animals
  are cared for

27
Closure Stage Three

• Closure of all operations
• Campus police patrol campus
• Buildings are locked down
• Research animals are euthanized

28
Sustaining Effort

• Stress steady progress
• Stress applicability to other emergency response
  scenarios
• Test the plan and rehearse the response

29
Resources

• American College Health Association - Pandemic
  Planning Guidelines
• www.acha.org
• CSHEMA
• www.cshema.org
• Arthur J. Gallagher, Inc. Blueprint
• Government sites
• www.pandemicflu.gov