Preparedness Guidelines for Pandemic Influenza

Purpose

Lesley University is committed to providing to its students, faculty, and staff a safe environment in which to learn and work. To this end, this policy has been created in an effort to minimize exposure and absenteeism in the event that a pandemic influenza or other contagious diseases pose a threat to our employees, their families, and business. Any employee with flu-like symptoms may return to work 24 hours after fever subsides without the use of fever reducing medicine. All medical information will subject to the rules and regulations of HIPPA and retained in a secure location in Human Resources.

Lesley University guidelines and policies are developed in close coordination with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and local Public Health Commissions. Each state issues its own guidelines and instructions and we work to comply state by state.

The most important point to remember as an employee is that we must be prepared for any situation. Should an influenza pandemic occur, the disease could spread rapidly and disrupt the lives of many people. Working together, we can ensure Lesley is ready.

Definitions: What is Pandemic Influenza?

An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus causes high numbers of illnesses in humans and spreads rapidly throughout the world. Because there is little natural immunity, the disease can spread easily from person to person. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a pandemic is a global disease outbreak. A flu pandemic occurs under the following conditions:

1. A new influenza virus emerges, against which there is little or no immunity in humans;
2. It spreads easily from human to human; and,
3. It infects humans that results in severe illness.

Additional information is available by visiting the Federal Government's official pandemic website at: www.pandemicflu.gov

Personal Hygiene & Good Health Practices To Maximize Health

To maximize health, you should cover your cough by coughing into your elbow or into a tissue, wash hands regularly and use alcohol hand gel, avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth, be physically fit, eat a healthy diet, control body weight, and follow your healthcare provider's instructions. If you have had close contact with an individual with suspected or probable flu be vigilant for the development of fever greater than 100.4 degrees F and/or respiratory symptoms with serious body aches.

Any faculty or employee member with a diagnoses or suspicion of N1H1 flu should not return to work until 24 hours after the fever has subsided without the use of fever reducing medicine.

Designation of Emergency Closing

In the event of an emergency the President, or his designees, have the authorization to close part or all of the University. Off-campus programs must contact Jacquelyn Armitage, Vice President for National Administration & Planning at 617.349.8302 directly and inform her of the number of students with flu like symptoms, suspected flu-like cases or locations that have been closed as a result of contagious health concerns. If it becomes necessary to close a site, the site coordinator and faculty member will provide additional guidance regarding the delivery of the course materials. The Vice President for National Administration will notify the President, the Vice President of Administration and office of the Provost to report the number of flu-like illnesses. Notification will be sent via email or the Send Word Now program or through individual notification if it is localized.

Communication

In the event that emergency conditions prevent you from reporting to work or arriving on time, you are responsible for notifying your supervisor, if feasible, within the first hour of the workday. If possible, such notification should be made by a telephone conversation directly with your supervisor. If direct contact is not possible, leaving a detailed voice mail message or calling a member of Human Resources is the preferred alternative. If it is not possible to reach your supervisor or Human Resources, leaving a message with another employee is acceptable as a last resort. In all messages, you should leave a phone number where you can be reached.

If you report to work, and it appears that you have the common flu symptoms, including, fever, runny nose, coughing, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, and feeling tired and weak, you will be sent home. In the event that you are sent to home, the following pay and/or leave practices will apply.

Additional guidance for Faculty including national and adjunct faculty will be issued by the Provost's Office in coordination with Human Resources and Student Health Services. General information is provided at this time but depending on unique circumstances additional guidance will be provided.

Pay Practices During Pandemic Influenza Crisis

Designated Employees: If Lesley University is officially closed, essential functions may still be maintained. As such, designated employees must report to work unless otherwise instructed. Decisions regarding an employee's ability to work from home will be assessed on individual basis. The Director of Human Resources will approve all such designations. First Responders may be established to include Vice Presidents and/or department heads, representatives from each school and the Offices of Student Life and Academic Development and one to two employees from the following departments: IT, Human Resources, Accounts Receivables, Accounts Payable, Operations, and Finance.

A roster of designated employees is maintained by Campus Services. An up-to-date copy of each department's roster is kept on file in the Presidents Office, Office of the General Counsel, Vice President for Administration and Human Resources Department,

For Full Time employees, who are unable to report to work due to personal or family flu-like illness, or in the event of an emergency closing period, the following pay, vacation, sick leave, and or unpaid leave practices will apply:

• Benefit eligible employees who accrue monthly paid leave benefits will be granted permission to use unused vacation leave, unused sick leave, or, in the case that the employee does not have any paid time available, then leave without pay for a the duration of time to be determined. Such employees are compensated at their regular rate of pay if they take unused vacation or sick leave. All paid leave must be used prior to taking unpaid leave. Reference applicable Vacation & Sick Leave Policies as found in your Employee Handbook.

• For Part Time employees, who are unable to report to work due to personal or family pandemic influenza illness, or in the event of an emergency closing period, the following pay practices apply: Part Time Non-Exempt employees will be granted the leave without pay for a duration of time to be determined.

Full Time Exempt employees will be compensated at their regular pay rate for regular hours worked during the emergency closing period.

If you or a close family member gets sick, you have several different leave options available.

Sick Leave:
Most Lesley employees who become ill may utilize their accrued sick leave for their own illness or to care for a family member who is ill or receiving medical treatment. You may also use sick leave if health authorities or a health care provider determines your exposure to a pandemic influenza virus jeopardizes the health of others by your presence on the job, even if you have not fallen ill yourself.
Faculty members including adjuncts who are unable to teach a scheduled class (which has not been cancelled) should refer to the Faculty Handbook for guidance regarding coverage and should contact his or her respective Dean immediately.

Vacation or Personal Leave:
You may also have the option of requesting the use of accrued vacation leave or earned personal leave during a pandemic health crisis. This option would most likely be used when you anticipate a longer absence than your available sick leave hours would enable you to take.

Sick Leave Banks:
You may qualify to receive donated vacation leave if you or a family member has a medical emergency and you do not have available vacation, personal or sick leave. The Sick Leave Bank allows you to receive donated vacation leave from fellow employees. Contact Human Resources for more information about this program.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA):
The Family and Medical Leave Act gives you the right to take up to 12 weeks of leave without pay for a serious health condition or to care for your spouse, son, daughter, or parent with a serious health condition. You may request to substitute any or all of the unpaid leave with available vacation, personal and/or sick leave within the rules for using vacation/personal/sick leave. For more information on the leave options available to you, contact Human Resources at ext 8784.

Disability:
For Benefit Eligible employees with influenza, you may qualify for short term disability during part of your absence. For more information on disability benefits please contact Human Resources ext 8784.

Flu Prevention: Common Sense Tips

Flu prevention begins by taking some common sense steps to keep you and your family safe. These simple tips may help prevent the spread of influenza:

• Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough.
• Clean your hands often with warm water and soap. If soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers. Keep a supply on hand at your home or office.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Infections may occur when germs are picked up through touching infected surfaces and then ingested into the body through openings such as the mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick and see a doctor when needed. If you are sick, you can play an important role in controlling the spread of the disease by maintaining your distance from others.

Emergency Medical Procedures

If an employee is in need of medical attention, please notify your immediate supervisor and request assistance. If you believe the situation merits assistance, please contact the Office of Public Safety at ext 8888. If warranted immediately call 911. Please inform 911 of the individual's symptoms, location and any other information 911 requests. In the event you need assistance from 911, please notify immediately Office of Public Safety at 8888.

Information and Contacts

For more information about seasonal flu, pandemic flu, avian flu and H1N1 flu, please visit the websites listed below or contact MA.DPH 2-1-1 for questions.

• Massachusetts Department of Public Health website on influenza:www.mass.gov/dph/flu
• Center for Disease Control (CDC) websites on swine flu
  www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
  www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm
  www.cdc.gov/swineflu/guidance_homecare.htm
• Boston Public Health Commission Infectious Disease Bureau at 617.534.5611 www.bphc.org/swineflu
• Human Resources: 617.349.8784 or hr@lesley.edu

Cancellation

This policy will stay in effect until such time the Administration or specific federal and/or state rules and regulations indicate a change in the policy or procedures.