UST Awarded Emergency Management Grant
10/20/2010
The University of St. Thomas has received a $245,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education for emergency management planning efforts. Over the next two years, UST will create a comprehensive plan to develop, review, improve and fully integrate campus-based all-hazards emergency management and business continuity plans.
These plans include regularly scheduled all-campus mock drills, campus training and coordination of communications for emergency preparedness. A prevention of campus violence plan will address the mental health needs of students, staff and faculty who may be at risk of causing violence by harming themselves or others. The plan will also include emergency protocols that include the medical, mental health, communication, mobility and emergency needs of persons with disabilities, special needs or language barriers. The University will expand its preparation for campus infectious disease outbreaks and further develop plans to ensure continuity of campus-wide operations following an emergency.
UST is the only school in Texas to receive funds from the Emergency Management for Higher Education (EMHE) Program that provided grants to 17 schools nationwide.
“In addition to the emergency procedures we already have in place, this grant will enhance our ability to prevent, prepare, respond and recover from emergencies,” EMHE Project Director Chris Barry said. “As part of the grant, UST will expand partnerships with local law enforcement, behavior and mental health agencies, first responders and government agencies to assist us in the event of an emergency.”
The Emergency Management for Higher Education (EMHE) grant program supports institutions of higher education (IHE) projects designed to develop, or review and improve, and fully integrate campus-based all-hazards emergency management planning efforts. A program funded under this absolute priority must use the framework of the four phases of emergency management (Prevention-Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery).
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