WHO IS TO REPORT TO WORK and HOW ARE WE PAID?
Employees and other personnel who are considered essential to keep Touro in service during a hurricane will be notified by their department director if they are considered essential to be at work during a hurricane. If you are designated essential, your director will put your name on the essential employee list, which will be used to control persons entering Touro.
All essential employees will be paid for 24 hours or for all hours on site, beginning with the designated time that they are requested to report to work. For documented hours worked, essential hourly employees will be paid no less than the equivalent of 1 1⁄2 times (time and a half) their hourly rate. The hours that essential hourly employees are on site during the disaster, but are not working, will be paid straight time.
All essential non-management exempt employees will be paid comparably.
Essential employees are required to be in the hospital at all times due to the activity on campus.
IF I’M NOT ESSENTIAL, HOW CAN I HELP IF I WANT TO?
Touro is looking for paid volunteers to be part of our Disaster Team. If you want to be part of our team, contact your department director. We will assign you to work in a department that is essential and you will be eligible for the new pay policy.
WHAT ABOUT FAMILY MEMBERS OF EMPLOYEES WHO NEED TO WORK?
It is critical that all Touro employees have a predetermined plan for their families in the event of a hurricane or other potential disaster. Touro encourages you to have your family evacuate the New Orleans area, if an evacuation is ordered by government authorities. If you have been designated an essential employee, you are expected to report to work as determined by your department director. Family members will not be offered shelter at Touro.
WHAT ABOUT PETS?
If your family evacuates, they should take your pets with them when they evacuate. Touro will not allow pets into the hospital.
WHAT SHOULD I BRING WITH ME?
Think of this as a camping trip that might last more than a few days. Think about all the things you might need on a camping trip.
o Your hospital ID badge or another form of identification.
o Bedding to sleep on (inflatable mattresses, sleeping bags, sheets and pillows).
o Toiletries (soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving gear, makeup, etc).
o Prescription medications.
o Games and books for entertainment.
o Candles and cooking stoves are NOT permitted.
PARKING
Starting 96 hours in advance of when a hurricane is predicted to strike, Touro will restrict its parking garages to employees scheduled to work. Upon entering the parking garage, you will need to show the yellow parking card for access. The form must be filled out with your name, department and phone number and left in a visible position on the dash of your vehicle in the event you need to be contacted to move your vehicle. Essential personnel are limited to one car in the garage. You will receive a set of instructions similar to these when you enter the garage. Within 24-36 hours before the disaster, only essential personnel will be allowed access to the garages.
After arriving on campus proceed to the open garage, park and enter the hospital through the third floor crossover bridges.
WHERE DO I ENTER TOURO?
At the designated location, you will need to show your hospital ID badge to our staff who will check your name against the list of essential personnel. You will be able to enter Touro after clearing the security check. When you enter Touro, you will be provided with a colored wrist ID band that you will need to wear throughout the hurricane period while at Touro.
WHERE DO I GO? DESIGNATED SLEEPING AREAS?
Please check with your director to determine the location of your sleeping area.
WHAT ABOUT MEALS?
Meals for essential personnel will be complimentary starting at the time Touro locks down the entrances under the hurricane plan. Meals will be limited. There will be one menu item for each meal and no seconds. The schedule of hours will be posted.
CAN I SMOKE AND HAVE A DRINK?
Sorry, but no smoking or alcoholic beverages are allowed in the hospital.
WHEN WILL I BE ABLE TO LEAVE?
Touro will stand down from its hurricane disaster plan when the emergency management system authorities have indicated that the emergency has passed, any curfew that may have been imposed has been lifted, and your replacement has arrived for work.
HOW DOES A NON-ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEE RE-ENTER THE CITY?
The City of New Orleans will implement a re-entry protocol for the 2007 Hurricane Season if a disaster occurs. Employees that are part of the recovery team will need their Touro ID badge and hospital distributed Parish Placard to gain re-entry. The placards will be kept in the Incident Commanders Office for distribution.
Under disaster conditions, only Touro employees will be allowed to re-enter the city. Due to this protocol, Touro may need to determine a meeting point outside the city and develop a caravan/carpool approach to re-entry.