The purpose of this Outbreak Plan is to ensure students and employees know how to manage an outbreak of COVID-19 if it occurs on the WVSOM campus or at any WVSOM site. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (September 2019), an “outbreak” is the occurrence of more cases of a disease than would normally be expected in a specific place or in a group of people over a given period of time.
WVSOM’s policies and procedures for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic are rooted in safety for all members of the WVSOM Community – students, employees, guests, and the communities they serve and live in while fulfilling WVSOM’s vital mission.
WVSOM’s COVID-19 related policies and procedures will continue to be consistent with the Governor’s guidelines and federal, state and local health officials’ recommendations.
WVSOM’s knowledge and understanding of the COVID-19 virus continues to evolve, and its policies and procedures will be updated accordingly and the WVSOM community will be notified.
This procedure applies to all WVSOM employees (full-time, part-time and temporary) and students.
WVSOM reserves the right to amend this procedure at any time, as necessary or appropriate.
WVSOM employees who have a lab confirmed positive for COVID-19 should notify: Leslie Bicksler, Office of Human Resources hr@osteo.wvsom.edu or 304/647-6279
WVSOM 1st and 2nd Year Students who have a lab confirmed positive for COVID-19 should notify: Dr. Roy Russ, Office of Preclinical Education adpreclin@osteo.wvsom.edu or 304/647-6421
WVSOM 3rd and 4th Year Students who have a lab confirmed positive for COVID-19 should notify: Dr. Art Rubin, Office of Predoctoral Clinical Education arubin@osteo.wvsom.edu or 304/720-8834
WVSOM’s outbreak response coordination and management will be directed by the WVSOM President and Vice Presidents (“Senior Administration”) in coordination with the COVID-19 Outbreak Coordinators. As an outbreak situation evolves, decisions will be made following WVSOM’s policies and procedures related to COVID-19. If there are cases that require special consideration, the case will be brought to Senior Administration by the Vice-President responsible for supervision of the individual case or by the COVID-19 Coordinators. In the case of students, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean will bring to Senior Administration any cases that require special consideration.
All employees and students that become aware of a positive COVID-19 case must report the case to the appropriate WVSOM Outbreak Coordinator as detailed above.
In the event a COVID-19 outbreak impacts WVSOM’s operations, employees and students will be notified by the Emergency Contact system and given instructions
WVSOM Outbreak Coordinators may be asked by the local health department to assist with case tracking or notification activity on campus.
It may become necessary to revert to previous phases, or parts thereof, at the directive of the WVSOM President, the Governor of West Virginia, or other governmental authority.
WVSOM Alert, as part of the WVSOM Emergency Notification System, allows WVSOM to quickly communicate health and safety-related information through a combination of various communication methods. In the event that information needs to be communicated to students and employees immediately, WVSOM will use several information delivery methods to make sure the pertinent information reaches members of the WVSOM community. WVSOM Alert will be used solely for the purpose of alerting the WVSOM community in an emergency. These emergency notices can be delivered via phone calls, text messages to mobile devices, and e-mail. All students and employees can manage their own contact information and choose the contact method(s) that they prefer. Information on WVSOM Alert is available at https://www.wvsom.edu/safety/alert-system.
Emergency notifications will be limited to health and safety concerns for WVSOM students or employees or the disruption of normal WVSOM functions due to a COVID-19 outbreak, severe weather, crime or other concerns.
If an emergency occurs, the emergency management operations team, in consultation with Senior Administration, will determine the need for a WVSOM Alert message.
The Marketing and Communications Department and the President’s office will provide the official communications and information in the event of an outbreak or other COVID19 related occurrence.
The Marketing and Communications Department is available to assist reporters with questions, interview requests for WVSOM employees and other media-related needs.
Requests for information should be directed to: Marilea Butcher, Marketing and Communications mbutcher@osteo.wvsom.edu or 304/647-6367