Emergency Preparedness at CMU

Emergency Preparedness at CMU

H1N1 Influenza

October 7, 2009

With the traditional seasonal flu period beginning October 1, Central Michigan University continues to carefully monitor seasonal and H1N1 influenza occurrences nationally, statewide and in our local community.

According to a weekly report by the American College of Health Association dated September 25, a total of 6,527 new influenza-like illness cases were reported (11 hospitalizations) among campus populations totaling over 3.2 million. Ninety-one percent of the 274 colleges and universities reported new cases, a proportion unchanged from the prior week.

For the period of September 13 through 26, the Michigan Department of Community Health reports 41 cases of flu-like illness in Isabella County. There are four different strains of influenza circulating throughout Michigan and across the nation.

University Health Services reports the incidence of influenza and influenza-like illness appears to be increasing slightly in the last few weeks.

Symptoms of influenza include a fever of 100 degrees or more, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headaches, chills, fatigue, diarrhea, and vomiting. Also, please take steps to reduce the spread of the flu.

Vaccines

As in previous years, the seasonal flu vaccine will be available at University Health Services for faculty, staff and students in the next few weeks. The vaccine is $30 per dose which can be submitted for health insurance coverage and will be available Monday – Friday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on a walk-in basis.

As reported by the media, the H1N1 vaccine is being provided to state governments for distribution through approved health care providers.

We will provide additional information when the vaccines become available.



It happens when you least expect it - the unthinkable strikes. We see examples of it all the time, whether it be a devastating fire, a major natural disaster, or a surprising terrorist attack. Do you know what to do if such an emergency were to occur?

As part of its emergency planning efforts, Central Michigan University has developed a Crisis Response Plan. The plan provides a general outline of the process CMU intends to follow in the event of a crisis. Crisis situations may affect one individual (as in the case of physical assault or stalking) or the entire campus community (such as a major natural disaster). The purpose of this site is to focus on those broad emergency situations that may strike with little or no warning. These situations could be natural, manmade, or other.

Procedures for closing the University or delaying operations have been established and will be implemented in times of severely inclement weather or other extreme situations.

Every operational unit of the university is strongly encouraged to develop a Business Continuation Plan that outlines how services would be sustained or returned to normal if a crisis were to occur. For those units seeking assistance in the preparation of such a plan, an administrative guide is available as a reference.

Emergency Action Plans are also in place for each building on campus, and contain valuable information that may prove useful in an emergency situation, including evacuation procedures and floor plans.


It is hard to predict exactly what may happen and when.
The best course of action is to be prepared!

So what's the worst that could happen?

Here is a list of potential situations that could occur, with helpful resources and courses of action to take in each case.

 

Related information: