Pandemic Planning Forum in Review

By Lisa Beaulieu

What will the University of Vermont do in the event of a pandemic flu outbreak? Estelle Maartmann-Moe and Al Turgeon, co-chairs of the University’s Working Group on pandemic planning, visited the library last week to discuss how we can prepare ourselves and our community for widespread illness.

First, the University is urging that we take care of ourselves—starting now! Good health habits such as washing your hands and covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze will help prevent the spread of any virus. If you are sick then stay home. The University’s Working Group also urges that we assemble a “home tool kit” which includes cash (small bills), water, food and medicine to sustain you and your family for 2 to 8 weeks.

If the virus appears in an international city, with an airport, then the University will invoke its Emergency Operations Plan and suspend classes. Classes would be administered via remote instruction which would utilize Blackboard, email and/or teleconference. Continuity of academic and research programs is paramount as financial aid, research funding and tuition revenue depend upon it. Clearly, the CTL will be vital to these preparations. As an aside, it was mentioned that 75% of the faculty will be able to teach online by 2012.

The Academic Planning phase of the project is to be completed this summer and will be presented to the Board of Trustees in October. Unit Planning will begin in January 2009 and be completed by May 2009. Peter Blackmer is the Libraries’ representative for the continuity-of-operations plans (COOPs). Peter will be working with library personnel to devise plans that will enable the libraries to continue to provide essential functions while working with fewer staff and fewer supplies. It will also be necessary to implement social distancing measures so as to protect library personnel and patrons from the spread of the virus.

For more information on the University Pandemic Planning efforts you may visit their website,
http://www.uvm.edu/~emergncy/?Page=UVMflu.html&SM=flumenu.html