Student Housing Resources for H1N1 (Swine Flu)

As an operator of around 30,000 beds of student housing, we @campusadvantage are very aware of the potential impact of Novel H1N1 Flu or Swine Flu on college and university campuses around the country. Student residential environments are particularly susceptable, due both to the proximity of living arrangements and the fact that H1N1 seems to be hitting young people particularly hard, unlike regular seasonal flu, which tends to impact the very young and the elderly. According to this blog post, the CDC has actually recommended that those under the age of 24 get vaccinated.

We have been preparing since Swine Flu first hit the headlines in April, and have been anticipating the surge we are already seeing as students return to school. Our focus is now on both prevention and response, as we have 6 cases thus far.

In this post, I will attempt to bring together as many resources as possible to assist other student housing operators in continuing to prepare and provide effective response and education to residents and parents.

Please reply to this post if you have any additions, suggestions or comments. I would also be happy to share other information such as the letters we have sent out to residents at the community where we have identified confirmed cases.

• Campus Advantage Resources: We have put together an internal resource page at http://www.campusadv.com/h1n1. This includes useful links and other information that may prove to be good reference information.
  
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
• H1N1 Home
• CDC information for Schools, Colleges and Universities
• Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for Institutions of Higher Education: This toolkit includes informational posters, sample letters, sample text messages, fact sheets, frequently asked questions and answers, as well as resources and materials related to H1N1.
• Social Media Toolkit - This page includes widgets you can use on your webpages and blogs, as well as RSS feeds, podcasts, links to Twitter and Facebook, and mobile resources.
• Widgets: You can find useful widgets at the department of Health and Human Services site, and at the CDC site. (See one of the widgets at the bottom of this post)
• Detailed guidance from the CDC. Their information about self-isolation is particularly relevant to those in student housing.
  
• Student Housing Specific Resources:
• H1N1 posts on the ACUHO-I blog
• ACUHO-I blog post with links and resources including sample pandemic plans
  
• Other resources specific to Higher Education:
• American College Health Association Website for H1N1
• Paper-Clip Communication Resource Site (includes free PDF downloads)
• Paper-Clip's Swine Flu Education Blog

H1N1 Higher Education