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Pandemic Preparedness Plan

LEVEL 1 | LEVEL 2 | LEVEL 2.5 | LEVEL 3

Southwest Tennessee Community College has created this Pandemic Preparedness Plan to guide the College in preparing for and responding to an influenza pandemic outbreak. The purpose of this plan is to minimize the impact of an influenza pandemic on students, faculty and staff by describing the specific actions to be taken by the College based on the following objectives and assumptions.

The Pandemic Preparedness Plan provides basic information about a Pandemic Incident. The College’s Continuity of Operations Plan (CCOP) will address how individual departments within the College will operate during a Pandemic Incident. The Pandemic Preparedness Plan, the All Hazards Emergency Response Plan and other related and non-related safety plans can be found on the Southwest Tennessee Community College Website at www.southwest.tn.edu.

The Southwest Tennessee Community College Pandemic Preparedness Plan will be authorized by the President of the College. The plan is designed to work in conjunction with plans by the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department and the Memphis/Shelby County Emergency Management Agency and shall be subordinate to all local, state and federal pandemic plans.

Southwest Tennessee Community College alert levels and response actions outline the general actions to be taken by the College during a pandemic event, based on the Federal Response Stages and the World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic response alert levels. Additional actions taken by the College related to the pandemic will be based on information provided by federal, state and local government, and/or through the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department.

LEVEL 1

Level 1ALERT LEVEL 1 DESCRIPTION & RESPONSE ACTIONS

  • No human-to-human spread of disease
  • WHO level 3 and Federal Government Response Stage 0
  • Review and Approve Pandemic Preparedness Plan
  • Monitor situation through WHO, CDC, www.pandemicflu.gov, and Memphis and Shelby County Health Department
  • Identify all essential onsite personnel
  • Identify all essential off-site personnel
  • Director of Public Safety fit test all essential onsite personnel and order personal protection equipment (PPE)
  • All departments identify critical departmental functions and report to VP for Financial and Administrative Services
  • Develop contingency plans for instruction and enrollment management procedures.
  • Computer Services - prepare for support of remote critical functions, remote access and increased system usage
  • Develop templates for communicating pandemic events to faculty, students and staff.
  • Develop HR policies and procedures for handling work-related issues during pandemic (absences, travel, insurance…)
  • Promote Stop the Spread of Germs Campaign

LEVEL 2

Level 2ALERT LEVEL 2 DESCRIPTION & RESPONSE ACTIONS

  • Human-to-Human transmission found but localized
  • Confirmed Outbreak Overseas WHO level 4-5 and Federal Response Stage 1-2-3
  • Alert Incident Management Team and activate SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
  • Notify Essential Onsite and Off-site Personnel to prepare for shutdown operations
  • Distribute personal protection equipment (PPE) to Essential Onsite Personnel
  • Coordinate with Memphis and Shelby County Health Department and Memphis/Shelby County Emergency Management Agency
  • Monitor all travel abroad programs, and advise based on CDC Travel Warnings and locations
  • All departments prepare to integrate contingency plans

LEVEL 2.5

Level 2.5ALERT LEVEL 2.5 DESCRIPTION & RESPONSE ACTIONS

Southwest Tennessee Community College is now at Level 2.5 of its Pandemic Preparedness Plan. Level 2.5 is a hybrid of Level 2 and Level 3. The College has gone 100% online for all operations (student, faculty and staff). Also, all buildings are closed.
The Pandemic Preparedness Plan includes an Incident Management Team that is comprised of the following:

  • Dr. Tracy Hall, President
  • Ernest A. Greenleaf, Interim Executive Director of Police Services and Risk Management
  • Jonathan Welden, Director of Physical Plant
  • Michael Boyd, Associate Vice President of Administrative Services
  • Dr. Kendricks Hooker, Vice President of Academic Affairs
  • Jacque Faulkner, Vice President of Student Affairs

Southwest Pandemic Preparedness Plan Level 2.5 and Status

Description Status
Review and Approve Pandemic Preparedness Plan The plan has been reviewed and updated
Monitor situation Interim Executive Director Ernest A. Greenleaf is monitoring and working closely with local emergency management officials
Identify all essential onsite personnel Essential personnel have been identified
Identify all essential off-site personnel Essential personnel have been identified
Director of Public Safety fit test all essential onsite personnel and order personal protection equipment (PPE) Public Safety has deployed PPE
All departments identify critical departmental functions and report to VP for Financial and Administrative Services Departments have reported critical functions to the VP F&A
Develop contingency plans for instruction and enrollment management procedure Student Affairs and Academic Affairs have developed plans and are executing on those plans
Computer Services - prepare for support of remote critical functions, remote access and increased system usage IT has laptops, desktops and is providing support for 100% online operations
Develop templates for communicating pandemic events to faculty, students and staff Communications has done this with the coronavirus website
Develop HR policies and procedures for handling work related issues during pandemic HR has developed this and the College is executing on it
Promote Stop the Spread of Germs Campaign When the College went to Level 2.5, employees were allowed to work from home, which materially helps to stop the spread

LEVEL 3

Level 3ALERT LEVEL 3 DESCRIPTION & RESPONSE ACTIONS

  • Widespread Outbreak in North America and Overseas WHO level 6 and Federal
  • Response Stages 4 & 5.   Level 3 actions will be based on the location of the disease within North America and the response of the local community
  • Virtual Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activated and Emergency Management Team continues to monitor the situation.
  • All campuses closed
  • All classes cancelled
  • All Special Events and Activities cancelled
  • Essential Onsite Personnel report to Central Campus for shutdown operations
  • Essential Remote Personnel continue to perform critical functions

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