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Memorandum
To: All Faculty and Staff
From: President Kleniewski
Date: September 18, 2009
Re: H1N1 Flu
Although we have no documented cases of the H1N1 flu in this county
or on our campus, we are prepared to help those of you who are
affected by the flu. We are following the guidelines from the Center
for Disease Control in preparing for a few cases or for a major
outbreak of flu on our campus. To assist us in our endeavors to
protect the campus community, we are providing the guidelines listed
below:
- Practice good hand hygiene by washing hands frequently
especially after touching common items such as keyboards, door
knobs and elevator buttons or after you cough or sneeze. Use
soap and water or alcohol-based hand cleaners. Instant hand
sanitizers are located across campus.
- Practice respiratory etiquette by practicing good hand
hygiene by covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when
coughing or sneezing. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or
sneeze into your sleeve at your elbow or shoulder, not into your
hands. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth; germs are
spread this way.
- Clean surfaces and items that are more likely to have
frequent hand contact such as desks, door knobs, keyboards, or
pens, with cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas.
- Talk with your health care provider about whether you should
be vaccinated for seasonal flu. It is unlikely that the Health
Center will have either the regular or the H1N1 flu vaccine
available for employees so please plan accordingly.
- If you are pregnant, have asthma, diabetes, or other
conditions that put you at higher risk for complications from
the flu, you should speak with your doctor as soon as possible
if you develop symptoms of flu-like illness. People at high risk
of flu complications who develop flu can benefit from early
treatment with antiviral medicines. Contact Human Resources if
you have any of the conditions outlined above and have any
concerns.
- If you are sick with flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, body
ache, headache, sore throat, cough, nasal congestion; vomiting
and/or diarrhea) stay home. Return to work 7 days from the onset
of the first symptom OR if you have a fever, after your
temperature is normal for 24 hours.. Notify your supervisor of
your absence.
- Sick leave and other available accruals should be charged
during your absence.
- If you have children, it may be advantageous to make
arrangements for alternate care if your child gets sick or his
or her school is dismissed.
- As always, if you need to stay home with a sick child,
contact your supervisor as normal and charge family sick leave
or other appropriate accruals for the duration of the absence.
We all hope that the H1N1 flu season will be minimally
disruptive. The College will do whatever it can to try to prevent a
massive outbreak of illness. We believe, however, that it is prudent
to plan responses as best we can before a potential crisis and I
urge you to do so. Thank you for your cooperation.
Please refer to the College website,
http://www.oneonta.edu for
updates.
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