University Business - February 2007 - (Page 43)

Warning : session_start : The session id contains invalid characters, valid characters are only a-z, A-Z and 0-9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 9 Warning : session_start : Cannot send session cache limiter - headers already sent output started at /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php:9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 9 Warning : Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by output started at /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php:9 in /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 10 “If you can depend only so much on the emergency plans of others in the event of a pandemic, you can expect even less from federal, state, and local government,” DeBoer warns. “The principle that an area in need gets help from other jurisdictions works very well with a localized disaster. But the neighbor-helping-neighbor model may not work in this case.” That message came through loud and clear in a statewide meeting of Virginia colleges hosted by the University of Richmond last fall. “We were told, ‘You’re going to have to ride this out without any assistance from government agencies,’ ” Sheffield reports. “Folks may not be happy with the government’s saying that local communities need to take care of themselves,” says Barkin. “But that’s better than making promises on which they can’t deliver.” And in the cases of the University of Minnesota with its Medical Reserve Corps and Boston University with its location in the heart of the city , emergency planners say that the local authorities may actually come to them for help in housing and treating hardship cases. Catching Up Not all schools are up to speed, or even in a forward gear, though. “As I travel around, I’m surprised by the number of schools who are just getting started or thinking of getting started,” says Barkin. “What I’m hearing is that there are too many unknowns. It’s a lot of work, and it’s hard to find the time and resources with so many other responsibilities. It’s also daunting, and people don’t have a lot of experience planning on this kind of scale. I tell them, ‘This process can look very overwhelming, and it is. But break it up into small parts and chip away at them.’ ” Sheffield was surprised at how few Virginia schools attending that fall conference had started any preparations, and he offers his own advice: “When they say, ‘This is like the Y2K scare when it was predicted that computer systems around the world would shut down ,’ I tell them that their planning is not going to be in vain, and that their efforts can go along way towards other emergencies.” Stocking Up One aspect of health crisis preparation is the need to increase stocks of food and bottled water—as well as flu medications—for use during an extended siege. “Right now we have a ‘just-in-time’ delivery system, ” says Peter Schneider of Boston University’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety. “That won’t work. ” Some advice for what may work: • Consider stockpiling medicines. Since most health experts agree that an avian flu vaccine would be at least six months in the making after an outbreak begins, the first line of defense would consist of the antiviral drug Tamiflu. “Whether the human-to-human form of the virus would be susceptible to Tamiflu is anyone’s guess, notes ” Anita Barkin, director of Student Health Services at Carnegie Mellon Pa. . It’s a pricey proposition, she points out, since each dose costs $96 and has a relatively short shelf life. • Don’t forget about supplies. Institutions are already stocking up on surgical masks and highergrade N-95 masks. • Investigate off-campus storage options. “If we’re looking at six to 10 weeks, we do not have sufficient space to store that type of food, adds ” John Sheffield, who directs safety and risk management efforts at the University of Richmond. He is considering off-campus storage, with an emphasis on foods that will not go to waste in the absence of a pandemic. Ron Schachter is a Boston-based freelance writer who frequently covers education. University of Minnesota’s Priority List A committee at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities built a plan for an avian flu strike covering these areas of concern: 1. International Travel 2. Targeted Vaccine Distribution 3. Essential Personnel, Operations, and Services 4. Surveillance and Case Investigation 5. Health Care Needs 6. Student Housing Needs 7. Communications 8. Internal Coordination 9. External Coordination 10. Providing Service to the Broader Community Resources American College Health Association resources page, www.acha.org/info_resources/pandemic_flu.cfm Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/flu/avian U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Checklist for Colleges and Universities, www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/school/collegeschecklist.html World Health Organization, www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/pandemic/en University of Minnesota Office of Emergency Response, www.ahc.umn.edu/about/admin/oer/pandemic/home.html universitybusiness.com February 2007 | 43 Flu.indd 43 1/22/07 11:37:59 AM Warning : Unknown : The session id contains invalid characters, valid characters are only a-z, A-Z and 0-9 in Unknown on line 0 Warning : Unknown : Failed to write session data files . Please verify that the current setting of session.save_path is correct /var/lib/php/session in Unknown on line 0 http://www.acha.org/info_resources/pandemic_flu.cfm http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/school/collegeschecklist.html http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/pandemic/en http://www.ahc.umn.edu/about/admin/oer/pandemic/home.html http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - February 2007

Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
Stats Watch
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
Admissions
On The Hill
Future Shock
Facilities Focus
Independent Outlook
Flu Pandemic Prep
Advancing the Brand
The Picture’s Getting Clearer
Groundbreaking Ideas
Gotta Get a Message to You
Internet Technology
What's New
calendar of Events
Direct Connect
End Note

University Business - February 2007