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 Health Care and Surgery Center, located at Green Spring Station
•  Johns Hopkins Health Care and SurgeryCenter, located at  White Marsh
•  Johns Hopkins Hospital clinics
•  Johns Hopkins Bayview medical offices

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
•  Lab testing at Green Spring Station
•  Hemapheresis and transfusion services
•  In vitro fertilization at Green Spring Station
•  Oncology IPOP
•  Oncology infusion
•  Pediatrics: Harriet Lane and specialty practices
•  Radiation oncology
•  Radiology (except breast imaging and DXA)

During weather events, physicians are considered essential employees and must maintain close communication with clinical leadership. For other outpatient clinics, the decision will take one of two forms: open or closed. Open/close decisions are made centrally by administrative and clinical leadership, and communicated to all practices.

• Open: Designated staff members are expected to report to work. Four-wheel drive vehicle drivers should be identified for each clinic. 
• Closed: All patients should be notified of the closing and rescheduled opening. If the decision is to close, this will be communicated to the media and through the weather hotline (Baltimore area:410-516-7781; outside Baltimore: 800-548-9004), and through email and phone trees at each affiliate.

Clinic Managers

Clinic managers should define which employees are necessary to maintain clinical care operations and obtain phone numbers to contact them. Managers should identify and notify required-attendance employees and clearly communicate who is expected to come to work during a weather emergency, since clinics are expected to remain open. Clinic leaders must obtain approval to close from the administrator of ambulatory services.

• Identify employees with fourwheel-drive vehicles. If you are unable to find a person within 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 toyour staff members. Identify key intersections for picking up staff members.
• Communicate with employees.Establish an email and phone tree to communicate with your clinic during weather emergencies.
•  Contact patients. All patients in your clinic must be contacted 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 HIPAA guidelines security requirements still apply.