Get the message out on H1N1
By Melanie Brisbon, Published September 21, 2009

Federal education and health officials are encouraging community colleges to have updated emergency preparedness plans and to have a point person to ensure communication runs smoothly should a flu pandemic develop.

"It is critical that you have a plan in place and a team to implement it," Education Under Secretary Martha Kanter said during a Webinar on flu preparedness hosted by the American Association of Community Colleges. "It is also important for you to stay in contact with your local and state health officials."

States may have specific procedures that may affect how community college leaders make decisions should a pandemic occur, Kanter said. Additionally, campus police, public information directors and student operations professionals should be prepared to disperse information and manage the situation should an outbreak occur.

"Colleges need to make sure they have effective communications set up so students will know where to get information" said AACC President George Boggs.

Federal health officials focused on encouraging colleges to take preventive steps, such as encouraging students to wash their hands, stay at home if they are sick and to get H1N1 flu shots.

"The H1N1 vaccine will be separate from the regular flu shot vaccine," said Stephanie Zaza, senior advisor at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "You do not need to take one prior to the other and you can take them both on the same day."

Federal officials noted that community colleges face unique challenges in handling an H1N1 outbreak because they are mainly commuter campuses and serve a wide variety of students, from students from other cultures to students with disabilities.

"Any plan has to accommodate for the fact that community colleges are community institutions," said Glenn Cummings, deputy assistant secretary for vocational and adult education at the U.S. Department of education. "On a given day, noncredit students, corporate partners and local patrons may be on campus."

A slideshow of the Webinar presentation is available at https://www.aacc.nche.edu. For more information on H1N1 and federal recommendations, visit https://www.flu.gov.