A message from Michigan Medicine leaders: National Preparedness Month

Dear U-M Health community,

Every year during September, National Preparedness Month, we remind you of the important role that you play in keeping U-M Health a safe and secure workplace. We ask that each of you take a moment to recommit to this by reviewing and acting on the information below.

U-M Health is a busy and active environment and keeping our students, faculty, staff, patients, visitors, and vendors safe is our top priority. Successful preparation for potential emergencies or critical events is dependent on all of us knowing what to do, where to get information and how to assist in the event of an emergency. We hope that over the past year, you have been able to participate in discussions, drills and exercises focusing on emergency preparedness.

Please review below, some of our important procedures related to emergency preparedness. 

All U-M Health staff are designated as critical to the workforce and are expected to report to work during regularly scheduled shifts in the event the university experiences an emergency reduction in operations such as severe winter weather. In these situations, departments have the option of approving work-at-home options and deeming some staff as non-critical dependent upon the emergency at hand.

Please take a few minutes to review and become familiar with specific emergency preparedness policies, practices and procedures within your area(s) of responsibility. We ask that you share this information in your area so that your coworkers are equally prepared.   

Last fall, we required everyone to take our Emergency Management Operations Preparedness Training in MLearning. A big THANK YOU and KUDOS go out to the 28,500+ individuals who completed the annual mandatory training!

The 2022 Emergency Management Operations Preparedness Training course will be added to your Cornerstone Learning Plan. The course will cover basic emergency preparedness, updated emergency codes and facility evacuation. Look for the new course after Cornerstone is implemented in November.   

We are also reminding you to be familiar with our organizational plans for emergency operations overall. Please take a moment to review the following:

• UMH Policy 01-20-000 Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)
• UMH Policy 05-01-006 Facility Evacuation Policy
• Emergency Management Operations Basic staff responses to emergencies.
• Emergency Management Operations website.
• EMO Orientation website and pdf.

Do not forget, September is National Preparedness Month. Check out the resources on the Emergency Management Operations website. Share this information in your area and continue to do your part to keep U-M Health prepared for emergencies.

We strongly encourage you to sign up for U-M Emergency Alerts that will call or text you with information to stay informed about emergencies around you. Additionally, alerts can be received via the Michigan App or the U-M Public Safety App as well as other helpful information like maps and bus routes and schedules. If you live locally, you can also sign up for the new Emergency Alerting System for Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County.

For more information on these and other emergency preparedness related topics, please visit the following websites and become familiar with the important roles and responsibilities you have during an emergency:

• UMHS Emergency Management Operations
• UMHS Safety Management Services
• U-M Division of Public Safety and Security

Questions regarding U-M Health emergency preparedness can be directed to our EMO-Admin Team.

We wish everyone a successful year and appreciate your attention to this important emergency preparedness training message.  

Sincerely,

Debbie DeNapoli, CHSP
Director of Safety & Emergency Management Operations, U-M Health

Tony Denton, J.D., M.H.A.
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, U-M Health

Jeffrey Desmond, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer, U-M Health

Nancy May, D.N.P., RN-BC, NEA-BC
Chief Nurse Executive, U-M Health

David Miller, M.D., M.P.H.
President, U-M Health
Executive Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs, U-M Medical School