December Is Here and It’s Time to Prepare for Winter Weather Events
Dear UVA Health Team Members,
In the spirit of keeping everyone as safe as possible, please begin preparing for winter weather events. When severe enough, these events may cause us to modify our operations, alter parking locations and bus service schedules, and require some team members to remain in or near our patient care facilities after their shift ends. Steps you can take now include:
Understand Policy Requirements
During inclement weather and other emergency events, reporting requirements vary among UVA Health entities, so it is important to be familiar with the policy covering your work area.
- Medical Center | Team members should review Policy 510: Modified Medical Center Operations to understand these requirements.
- UPG | During inclement weather, UPG aligns operations as closely as possible with the Medical Center. Inclement Weather Policies for the UPG Clinical Practice Group (CPG) and Patient Friendly Billing (PFB) can be found on: https://upg.policytech.com/
- Academic Division | Faculty and staff can find information about their emergency event designation, agency closing timekeeping instructions, and more on the Weather or Emergency Event Status page.
Get Prepared
- Verify your reporting status | Ask your manager to confirm whether or not you are a “designated” team member. Designated team members must report to work during inclement weather events; non-designated team members can remain off-site.
- Know your work team plan | Know how you are expected to stay in touch with your manager/supervisor and colleagues during an inclement weather event.
- Ensure your personal safety
- Protect yourself and your loved ones with a Family Emergency Plan.
- Pet owners should have plans to care for their animals.
- Put together a basic disaster supplies kit, or “Go-Kit” if you do not already have one. During severe weather, you may need to arrive early to work or stay over.
Stay Informed
- For UVA Health team members, check the UVA Medical Center Status Board for comprehensive and frequently updated information.
- For Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, SOM, and SON team members, monitor the academic Operations Status Board for updates to academic operations.
- Monitor weather forecasts via the National Weather Service, local media, and Virginia511 (for traffic and road conditions).
- Register your mobile number in your UVA Alerts account to receive alerts by text, and consider an emergency alert app like Guardian, FEMA or the Red Cross.
- Check the UVA Parking and Transportation website for updates about bus services and parking facilities. Permit holders will receive separate communication from Parking and Transportation about how the event will affect parking and transportation operations.
- Monitor your email inbox updates from UVA Health Emergency Management.
- Stay tuned for Information about lodging and accommodations for team members that will be provided during winter weather events.
We encourage you to take these steps and stay safe during the winter months ahead.
Sincerely,
UVA Health Emergency Management