Prepare now at home and work—before an emergency

The June 1 start of hurricane season makes emergency preparedness a hot topic for those of us on the Gulf Coast. But as we all know, emergencies that disrupt our ability to fulfill our mission—and which affect our families and homes—can happen at any time and at any of our locations throughout the state.

With that in mind, we wanted to share the following general information on how UTMB prepares for and communicates during emergencies, as well as a list of actions you can take now to be ready at work and at home.

In an emergency, UTMB activates its Incident Command structure (login required) to make decisions based on the specifics of the emergency as it develops. Incident Command includes leaders from a broad range of departments that have direct responsibility for critical business operations. Led by an appointed Incident Commander and in coordination with other agencies when appropriate, the group determines UTMB’s response to the incident, including if and when to dismiss students and employees.

The group’s decisions are communicated in a variety of ways depending on the severity of the emergency, including email to academic program leaders, managers or all employees; the Alerts website; iUTMB; social media, including I Am UTMB and UTMB Health pages on Facebook and @UTMBHealth on Twitter; and our UTMB Alerts emergency notification service, as appropriate. We will also update information for patients on utmbhealth.com as needed.

But a successful Incident Command depends on well-prepared employees. We strongly encourage you to take the following actions now, before an emergency affects your work site or home:

• Become familiar with your department’s emergency plan and your role in an emergency.

• Complete the required 2019 Emergency Classification and Acknowledgment Form and have it approved by your supervisor by May 31. The form must be completed and approved online (login required). Paper documentation will not meet the requirement.

• Talk with your supervisor or faculty advisor about your emergency responsibilities and/or procedures for reporting to work/school during an emergency.

• Become familiar with UTMB’s Institutional Emergency Operations Plan (login required).

• Visit Employee Self Service/Personal Information (access via “Employee Self Serv/Paycheck” link on iUTMB) to check and update the following information, which is vital to our ability to determine who is affected by a particular emergency, on or off UTMB property. This ensures UTMB knows how to reach you and your personal emergency contacts when needed and enables us to better target emergency-related messages in the future:

  • Your UTMB Directory information—particularly your work location (L-code)

  • Your personal information, such as home address and home contact information

  •  Your emergency contacts (the family members or friends UTMB should contact if you become seriously ill or injured at work or if we are unable to reach you during a large-scale emergency)

• Check your contact and location information in the UTMB Alerts emergency notification system here (login required). All employees and students are automatically enrolled in UTMB Alerts with their university phone and/or email address. We recommend that you also add your mobile number to receive UTMB Alerts messages via text and/or mobile phone call, to ensure you get notifications as quickly as possible, no matter where you are. Be sure at least two contact methods are listed for you.

• Keep computer security in mind. Never reveal your UTMB login information to anyone, and be suspicious of emails asking you to enter your login information.

• Wear your ID badge every day at all UTMB locations, so University Police, members of the public and, if needed, emergency responders will know you belong.

• Enroll in Direct Deposit and MyChart, to ensure access to both your paycheck and your UTMB medical records in an emergency.

• Develop an emergency plan for your home that takes into account care and safety of dependents and pets. 

UTMB offers a number of emergency preparedness resources to help you plan on the job and at home. Visit www.utmb.edu/emergency_plan to view materials from the 2019 UTMB Emergency Preparedness Meeting, preparedness checklists, related forms and emergency-related policies. You can also learn more about UTMB’s Institutional Emergency Operations Plan and the business continuity planning process for ensuring our ability to fulfill our mission, no matter the challenge. The HR Adverse Events Toolkit (login required) also provides a number of resources.

Thank you for making your personal safety a priority and also for your help in keeping UTMB prepared for any emergency in any of our locations across the state.

Dr. David L. Callender
President

Dr. Gulshan Sharma
Institutional Emergency Preparedness Officer
Vice President, Chief Medical & Clinical Innovation Officer