Take Winter by Storm
Snow, ice and freezing rain are all part of the unpredictable winter weather our region has come to know — and sometimes love. Whatever Old Man Winter throws our way this year, be sure you know your organization’s weather emergency policies so you can stay safe and our patients can continue to receive quality care.
Read this special weather issue of Hopkins Insider, which has all the information you need if you work for The Johns Hopkins Hospital, other Johns Hopkins Health System member organizations, any outpatient facility or the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Supervisors in each facility or department define their own staffing requirements and procedures, so be sure to check with your manager about your specific responsibilities.
JOHNS HOPKINS HEALTH SYSTEM
All of our hospitals must continue to meet patient care responsibilities during winter weather emergencies. Plan for the amount of time needed to arrive at work, and consider using the support that is available from your hospital during challenging weather events — such as sleeping arrangements and comfort kits. Staff members who are already on-site during inclement weather should plan to remain on duty until other staff members can safely arrive. Together, we can improve our resiliency during winter weather.
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Stay up to date on weather emergency information at intranet. insidehopkinsmedicine.org/ emergency/weather. You can also call the Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital weather hotline at 410- 516-7781, or 800-548-9004 from outside the Baltimore area.
Review policy EP101 Business Continuity: Inclement Weather at hpo.johnshopkins.edu/hopkins/ policies/851/1196/policy_1196. pdf?_=0.955419650379.
Find inclement weather information under Resources on the Johns Hopkins Medicine Office of Emergency Management’s website at hopkinsmedicine.org/oem.
Create a preparedness plan to ensure your family is ready for a winter weather emergency. More information can be found at ready.gov/.
Howard County General Hospital
All employees are expected to make every effort to report to work on time. Employees should refer to policy HR C-12, which outlines expectations and communication methods during bad weather. For the latest information during a weather event, please visit the employee portal at hcgh. net or call 410-740-SNOW (7669).
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
During inclement weather, each employee is expected to arrange for transportation to report to work on time. See inclement weather policy, number EMPRE503, at hpo.johnshopkins.edu/bayview/ policies/164/11695/policy_11695. pdf?_=0.862011255276. Your best efforts to arrive in a timely manner to care for our patients and assist your co-workers during emergency situations are appreciated. If circumstances cause a delay, please inform your manager.
Johns Hopkins Community Physicians
Weather conditions can differ across our organization, so decisions are made practice by practice. Employees are notified about late openings and site closures through protocols specific to department and practice. Central administrative employees at the Keswick and Mount Washington offices can call the weather line at 410-338-3777 for updates. See the weather policy at hpo.johnshopkins. edu/community/policies/198/13988/ policy_13988.pdf?_=0.339389457756.
Johns Hopkins HealthCare
When weather conditions are severe, staff members can call the Employee Communications Line by phoning the main number at 410-424-4679 and entering extension 4000. A message will indicate if Johns Hopkins HealthCare is closed (which happens only in exceptionally hazardous conditions) or opening late, or if it has enacted liberal leave. If the facility is closed, employees’ paid time off (PTO) is deducted for the scheduled hours of closure. For more information, employees should consult the Johns Hopkins HealthCare HR 005 weather policy.
Johns Hopkins Home Care Group
The Home Care Group does not close during weather emergencies. Employees should refer to policy ESEQ601 at hpo.johnshopkins.edu/homecare/ policies/197/17935/policy_17935. pdf?_=0.10111597394, which outlines expectations and communication methods during weather events. Updated messages are available on the emergency communication line at 410-288-8002.
Sibley Memorial Hospital
Employees should refer to human resources policy HURE-POL025 at hpo.johnshopkins.edu/sibley/ policies/815/34960/policy_34960. pdf?_=0.787668706496 for inclement weather procedures. Emergency information will be sent by email and RAVE alerts.
Suburban Hospital
Employees should refer to the severe weather policy (HR-211) at hpo.johnshopkins.edu/suburban/ policies/361/21239/policy_21239. pdf?_=0.0965176978405in the human resources policy manual on SHIP/HPO. The policy outlines employee expectations and communication methods during weather events. The call-in phone number for instructions is 301-896-7669.
OUTPATIENT FACILITIES
The following guidelines and clinical operations work rules apply to all clinic employees of the hospital and health system at these facilities:
Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center
Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, Odenton
Johns Hopkins Hospital clinics
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center medical offices
Johns Hopkins Health Care & Surgery Center, Green Spring Station
Johns Hopkins Health Care & Surgery Center, White Marsh
Outpatient Clinic Status
Several outpatient practices remain open unless a government-declared road closure has been announced. These practices include:
Ambulatory surgery at the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center
Dialysis centers
Express Testing at the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center
Hemapheresis and transfusion services
In vitro fertilization at Green Spring Station
Lab testing at Green Spring Station
Oncology infusion
Oncology inpatient/outpatient program
Pediatrics: Harriet Lane and specialty practices
Radiation oncology
Radiology, except breast imaging and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
For other outpatient clinics, decisions to open or close are made centrally by administrative and clinical leadership, and are communicated to all practices.
If open: Designated staff members are expected to report to work. Four-wheel drive vehicle operators should be identified for each clinic.
If closed: All patients should be notified of the closing and the scheduled opening. Closing is communicated to the media through the weather hotline (Baltimore area: 410-516-7781, outside Baltimore: 800-548-9004), and through email and phone trees at each member organization.
During weather events, physicians are considered essential employees and must maintain close communication with clinical leadership.
Clinic Managers
Clinic managers should define which employees are necessary to maintain clinical care operations, and should obtain their phone numbers. Managers should identify and notify required-attendance employees and clearly communicate who is expected to come to work during a weather emergency. Clinic leaders must obtain approval to close from the administrator of ambulatory services.
Identify employees with four-wheel drive vehicles. If you are unable to find a person in a clinical area who is willing to pick up employees, you should coordinate with another clinic to find a driver. Give the driver’s name to your staff members, and identify key intersections to pick them up.
Communicate with employees. Important information during weather events is sent through email. All employees should check work email frequently during weather events.
Contact patients. All patients in your clinic must be informed if the clinic is closed. The clinic manager or a designee needs to take home a list of patients if inclement weather is likely, or arrange to access Epic or IDX from home. Please remember that Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act guidelines and security requirements apply.
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
When conditions require curtailment of the operating schedule for the university or a unit, it is announced on the university weather hotline and website (see box below). Information on a closure or delayed opening is available as soon as a decision is made — normally before 6 a.m. after overnight snowfall.
Staff members may be designated as required-attendance employees. Expectations for school of medicine required-attendance employees who work in clinical areas may be explicitly aligned with Johns Hopkins Hospital inclement weather policies and guidelines.
Required Attendance Plan
An on-site, required-attendance employee must stay at work or report to work. This employee is one who is vital to the work group’s operation and whose presence and critical services are required regardless of the emergency.
Required-attendance employees who do not stay at or report to work may be considered absent without approval, pending discussion with their supervisor.
An off-site, required-attendance employee is one who may best work during an emergency from an alternate, off-site location (the employee’s home or elsewhere).
Each unit or department defines its staffing requirements. Annually, supervisors should designate in writing required-attendance employees of either type. If your status is unclear, talk with your supervisor.
The third category is nonrequired-attendance employees who are asked to work. At the discretion of a unit or department, employees not previously designated for required attendance may be called to work on a case-by-case basis. They may be required to report to work, work from home or report to a designated alternate work site during the emergency. When possible, employees should be given advance notice that they might be called into service.
Closure Plan
The Johns Hopkins University may choose to close the entire university, a campus or a building. Required-attendance employees in the affected areas must remain at work or report for work at the regularly scheduled time, either on-site or off-site as previously designated. Nonrequired-attendance employees do not work unless asked to do so.
Delayed Arrival Plan
When the delayed arrival plan is invoked for the entire university, a campus or a building, all required-attendance employees should report to work at the regularly scheduled start time, either on-site or off-site as previously designated. Other staff members are expected to report to work by the delayed arrival time. Employees reporting by that time will not lose pay, and time will not be charged to leave. The weather closings policy is online at hr.jhu.edu/working-here/university-policies/.
Emergency Information
The Johns Hopkins weather hotline and websites are the best sources of information. Be sure to listen to or read the entire announcement, because exceptions may be contained later in the message.
Weather Hotline
The Johns Hopkins University and The Johns Hopkins Hospital:
Baltimore area: 410-516-7781
Outside Baltimore: 800-548-9004
News and Weather Updates
The Johns Hopkins Hospital/ Health System Corporation and School of Medicine:
intranet.insidehopkinsmedicine.org/emergency/weather/
facebook.com/Johns.Hopkins.Medicine
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center: hpo.johnshopkins.edu/bayview/ policies/164/11695/policy_11695. pdf?_=0.862011255276
The Johns Hopkins University: jhu.edu/alert/
Johns Hopkins Home Care Group: 410-288-8002
Sibley Memorial Hospital: hpo.johnshopkins.edu/hopkins/ policies/851/1196/policy_1196. pdf?_=0.899758539457
Suburban Hospital: 301-896-7669
Howard County General Hospital: 410-740-7669