December 15, 2006

Over the last several months, The Johns Hopkins Hospital and the School of Medicine have collaborated to develop a Staff Emergency Response Reference for Johns Hopkins Medicine. The goal is to coordinate response procedures by centralized departments. This centralized support from Facilities Engineering, Information Systems, Safety and Security, in collaboration with the administrator of emergency management, will help clinical, research and infrastructure department leaders develop their own responsibilities and procedures for a disaster or emergency situation. This Response Reference will help managers, faculty and staff activate the required response/assistance and identify the most appropriate action when any emergency event or system failure occurs. In addition, the recently distributed Orange Alert Cards will help everyone to access our disaster plans and emergency management information on our Web site (www.hopkinsonalert.org). The Emergency Response Reference, approved by senior leadership, can be found at www.hopkinsonalert.org.

Our next objective is to develop detailed disaster and business continuity plans for the School of Medicine, and we will contact you to help us do that for your department and the School.

In the meantime, please identify one person in your department to serve as your disaster coordinator. He or she will serve as your liaison, help coordinate the development of your specific plans, educate and test your management team, faculty and staff, and put that plan into effect in the event of an exercise/actual event. The goal is to ensure that normal business or at least your essential services and functions continues if there is an emergency or disaster.

We will schedule an initial meeting with your disaster coordinator to work out the framework of your plan after the HopkinsOne “go-live” date. We look forward to your participation.

Please e-mail Howard Gwon, administrator of emergency management, at hgwon@jhmi.edu if you have any questions.