The Appalachian State University campus is currently operating under NORMAL conditions.
Pandemic: Infectious Disease: Departmental Planning
Critical Supplies
Each department is responsible for developing a list of their critical supplies (supplies that may be needed during a pandemic and/or may be difficult to obtain in the event normal supply distribution systems are disrupted) and coordinating the purchase of these supplies with the Director of Materials Management (Purchasing Office) once the pandemic reaches Phase 5.
Quarantine and Isolation Sites
The Director of Health Services in coordination with the Health Department will identify isolation and quarantine sites. Food Services and Housing and Residence Life will be responsible for providing basic services to the students located in these sites.
Continuity Plans for Maintaining Essential Operations
The university considers all departments that make up the Operations Group to be essential. Each department's continuity of operations plan for maintaining essential operations is attached as an enclosure to this Annex.
Departments
- Health Services
- Food Services
- Academic Affairs
- Business Affairs (Finance)
- Human Resources
- Housing and Residence Life
- Physical Plant
- University Police
- Public Affairs
- International Programs
- Counseling Center and Hubbard Center
- Safety and Workers' Compensation Office
- University Attorney Office
- Information Technology Services
- Student Development (Dean of Students)
Health Services
- Monitor WHO pandemic phases and alert the Operations and Executive Groups when changes have occurred.
- Establish protocols for communicating with local health department and hospital emergency rooms.
- Develop plans to assure ongoing student health services in the event of a reduction in staffing due to illness.
- Identify supplies and medication to be stockpiled for use in the prevention of and exposure to infectious diseases.
- Identify and stockpile personal protective equipment that will be useful for staff treating infected students.
- Develop clinic protocols for:
- Evaluating patients with symptoms to determine likelihood of exposure.
- Caring for students exposed but not symptomatic.
- Caring for students who are ill but not hospitalized.
- Develop transportation policies for students to and from isolation areas.
- Identify emergency storage protocol of corpses before transfer to a morgue.
Food Services
- Develop plans to assure food services can be provided to students in the event of a reduction in staffing due to illness.
- Identify non-perishable foods, foodstuffs and prepackaged utensils to be stockpiled for use during a pandemic.
- Coordinate training for essential staff on risks and response to infectious disease exposure.
- Develop infection control policies to minimize or prevent infection (eg. replace open utensil bins with prepackaged plastic utensils).
- Develop plans to offset the impact of a pandemic on food and supply deliveries.
- Develop plans to safely transport food to students isolated or quarantined.
Academic Affairs
- Develop alternative procedures to assure continuity of instruction in the event the university closes for a long period of time.
- Establish procedures for students placed in isolation and quarantine to obtain class lecture materials and participate in exams.
- Review class attendance policy and medical excuses policy to ensure they do not unfairly penalize students who are ill as a result of an infectious disease pandemic.
- Develop plans to assure continuity of academic services (to include research and laboratory projects) in the event of a reduction in staffing due to illnesses.
Business Affairs (Finance)
- Develop plans to maintain payroll and accounts payable functions in the event of a reduction in staffing due to illness.
- Develop plans to maintain the purchasing of goods and services in the event of a reduction in staffing due to illness.
- Identify funds for business continuation in the event of a pandemic.
Human Resources
- Develop plans to assure continuity of essential human resource services in the event of a reduction in staffing due to illnesses.
- Develop a plan to allow non-essential staff to work-at-home during an infectious disease pandemic.
- Coordinate to ensure employee emergency contact information is updated and accurate.
- Establish procedures for non-essential staff to volunteer and be trained to fill in for essential staff out of work due to illness from an infectious disease pandemic.
Housing and Residence Life
- Identify on-campus housing areas to be used as quarantine units for students who have been exposed to an infectious disease but are not symptomatic.
- Establish procedures to conduct health & safety checks to identify students who are ill and may require medical care.
- Coordinate training of staff on risk and response to infectious disease exposure.
- Identify and stockpile personal protective equipment for essential staff.
- Establish protocols for caring for ill students who are not evacuated from their residence hall.
- Establish protocols for dealing with students that may die in their room from an infectious disease.
- Stockpile germicidal and disinfectant supplies.
Physical Plant
- Establish plans to assure the ongoing provision of essential services in the event of a reduction in the work force due to the pandemic.
- Identify and stockpile personal protective equipment for essential staff.
- Stockpile germicidal and disinfectant supplies.
- Be prepared to transport supplies and personnel to isolation and quarantine facilities.
- Establish protocols to handle the removal and transportation of corpses, respecting cultural and religious beliefs.
- Coordinate training for all staff on risk and response to infectious disease exposure.
University Police
- Establish plans to secure and protect campus facilities and services that have been designated as essential (eg. infirmary, isolation and quarantine sites).
- Be prepared to secure and protect campus facilities from encroachment from unauthorized populations seeking services and refuge in the event of a panic.
- Identify and stockpile personal protective equipment for staff.
- Coordinate with local emergency response agencies to understand their plans and limitations and to seek their support when possible.
- Establish a protocol for medical transport of ill students beginning at Phase 5 of a pandemic.
- Establish protocols to investigate all deaths on campus.
- Be prepared to provide security for flu vaccine and anti-viral distribution sites on campus.
Public Affairs
- Develop plans to communicate with students, staff, faculty and parents, including lead spokespersons and links to other communication networks.
- Advise employees and students where to find up-to-date and reliable pandemic information from federal, state and local public health sources.
- Disseminate information about the university's pandemic preparedness and response plans (including potential impact of a pandemic on the closure of the university).
- Anticipate and plan communications to address the potential fear and anxiety of students, employees and their families that may result from rumors or misinformation.
International Programs
- Develop a plan to issue advisory statements as part of the orientation process for persons planning to travel to areas affected by potential pandemic infectious diseases.
- Establish well-defined policies that address:
- Trip cancellations
- Restricted travel regions
- Academic credit issues
- Shelter-in-place guidelines
- Develop a plan for communicating with and assisting students, staff and faculty who may be restricted from returning to the U.S. from affected countries, or who may quarantined while overseas.
- Develop a plan for communicating with and assisting international students and faculty working at Appalachian, who may be restricted from returning to their homelands if the U.S. is affected or if they are quarantined while here.
- Establish protocols for reviewing health status and incubation concerns for students, staff and faculty returning from a potentially pandemic infectious disease region of the world.
- Establish plans for dealing with contractual obligations when travel is restricted or cancelled because of a pandemic infectious disease outbreak.
- Consider providing hygiene supply kits to students, staff and faculty travel to areas affected by potential pandemic infectious diseases.
Counseling Center and Hubbard Center
- Develop a plan to provide counseling services to students and coordinate with the Hubbard Center for staff and faculty during pre- pandemic, pandemic and post pandemic phases with special recognition to the significant number of deaths anticipated.
- Establish a protocol for offering counseling services by means other than face to face.
Safety and Workers' Compensation Office
- Develop a recommended list of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for employees and departments that have essential functions that must be accomplished during Phase 6 of a pandemic.
- Develop policies and procedures for fit-testing N95 respirators when required to be worn.
University Attorney Office
- Provide legal guidance and advice to the Operations Group during all planning phases of a pandemic to include but not limited to:
- Travel restrictions
- Workplace restrictions
- Temporary employment
- Volunteers
- Workers Compensation
- Enforcement of isolation and quarantine orders
- Powers of the Health Director over the university
- Contractual relations
- Insurance issues
- Recovery and reopening the university
- Advise the Executive Group on legal and liability issues during all phases of a pandemic.
- Advise the Chancellor on legal and liability issues with respect to making the decision when to close the university.
Information Technology Services
- Coordinate IT needs for supporting Academic Affairs' alternative plans to assure continuity of instruction in the event the university closes for a long period of time.
- Establish and coordinate the maintenance of a Pandemic Information Web-Page.
- Ensure integrity of the digital communications network on campus.
Student Development (Dean of Students)
- Develop a plan to share information with parents.
- Develop emergency and family information plans to share with students - particularly off campus students.
- Develop a communication plan with campus ministers.
- Continue dialogue with Student Development staff in all areas to insure provision of essential services.
- Continue dialogue with Academic Affairs regarding procedures for class attendance and medical excuse policies for students.
