Health Emergency
Ensuring a healthy University community
People across campus work every day to ensure the health and safety of our campus community. Many departments provide health services, counseling, food services, housing, facilities management, environmental health, and public safety. These daily efforts prevent health problems at the individual and community level.
What is a health emergency?
A health emergency is the rare situation that creates the potential for widespread illness, possibly death, among a group of people.
Examples of health emergencies:
- Outbreak of bacterial meningitis
- A large food borne outbreak
- Act of bioterrorism such as an intentional release of anthrax spores or another biologic agent
- Chemical spill or release that results in multiple injuries
- Influenza pandemic
Health emergencies are often long-term events lasting for weeks or even months. An influenza pandemic may cause significant reductions in the available workforce and threaten our entire infrastructure, causing disruptions in normal services.
How are health emergencies handled on campus?
The University’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) outlines the basic response system for all emergencies on campus, including health emergencies. Systems and procedures that capitalize on the extensive resources in the Academic Health Center have also been developed for health emergencies. These include:
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