Welcome to the section on emergencies, where we'll talk about emergency

situations, and what you might be able to do in case of an emergency.

I'd like to begin by talking about the International Health Regulations.

As early as the 14th century,

people used quarantine to keep diseases from spreading across borders.

But more recently, there have been a series of agreements between countries

to address the potential spread of disease.

And now that looks like the International Health Regulation's,

which were revised in 2005.

And these are a set of guidelines that are used by 196 countries to prevent and

control public health threats,

while avoiding unnecessary interference with international travel and trade.

You don't need to know all of the specifics

about International Health Regulations.

But I wanted to give you a sense of view over our chain

national level work that is being done to detect public health emergencies,

inform the public, respond quickly, and prevent them,

while facilitating groups of people to manage all of these, all of these issues.

The World Health Organization plays the coordinating role for

the International Health Regulations, and

through the IHR, the World Health Organization

keeps countries informed about public health risks.

So again, the reason we're discussing the IHR here is just to let you know that

there are organizing bodies around public health emergencies.

That make larger decisions, which can influence how you should respond to

an emergency, and what the guidelines are around responding to an emergency.

The IHR is concerned with health related matters, but, of course,

there are other emergency situations that you could encounter.

In the event of an emergency, the first thing you want to do, if you can,

is to work with your in country contacts to get assistance for immediate needs.

If it's a natural disaster,

your in country contacts are likely dealing with the emergency themselves.

But there are number of other resources that you can use.

One of which is International SOS, or ISOS,

which provides immediate emergency assistance.

You can also look into state department resources to help you in the event of

an emergency, and also to guide you on what you should.

The first thing you should do though, is what the Department of State can and

cannot do for you As we've discussed in other lectures in this course,

you will want to enroll in the STEP program, so that you can stay informed of

what's going on, and also to provide your information to the Department of State,

and where you're located, and what you're going to be doing.

But it is important to remember that this type of program really only works if you

have Internet connection and phone, which isn't always the case in an emergency.

The assistance that the State Department can provide really

depends on the nature of the crisis.

Regularly, scheduled commercial flights or transportation are always the best options

when local communications and infrastructure are intact and operating

normally, if the State Department has advised citizens to leave a country.

So, what happens during an evacuation?

Well, in extreme situations where local infrastructure is damaged or

compromised, the State Department works with the host government, other countries,

US government agencies,

to arrange non-commercial transportation for US citizens seeking to depart.

So, this could include different types of transportation, air, land,

and sea, whatever is needed to get you out.

And while they partner closely with the Department of Defense,

military options are really only used as a last resort.

So, you should not rely on the US Military, or

expect them to assist you when a travel warning advises you to leave a country.

Also remember that departure assistance is expensive.

And if the State Department does help you to evacuate, they

also require that any departure assistance be provided on a reimbursable basis.

So, that means that evacuation costs are ultimately your responsibility.

And you'll even be asked to sign a form promising to repay the US Government.

So, don't expect that even if you receive US military or

State Department assistance, that you won't have to pay for it.

International SOS is another service that provides immediate emergency assistance.

And this is an organization that's under contract by Hopkins, so

any student, staff, faculty, can access this service while they're overseas.

ISOS can do number of things for you in an emergency.

It can evacuate you in case of a natural disaster, political unrest, major illness,

or injury.

It can assist with medical care, and advance funding for care if you need.

It can help to coordinate medical fees, monitor your condition, and

provide advice, and evacuate you to a center of medical excellence

if local care is inadequate, or get you to a secure location.

You can also use their services in non-emergency situations

to seek health and security advice.

If you need to speak with an experienced internationally trained doctor, or

security specialist, if you require supplies of medication or equipment.

As I mentioned, International SOS covers you during natural disaster.

But it's important to research what type of natural disasters occur in the region

and the country, to where you're going to be living.

You want to learn the different protocols, so you can be prepared for them.

Here in the United States, depending on what region you're in,

you might learn what to do in case of an earthquake, or in case of a tornado.

But you likely don't know what to do if there's a typhoon.

So, take a look online, see what you can find about it.

And you can even ask International SOS some questions if you're worried about it.

So, the first thing you should do regarding ISOS is to download and

save the Hopkins ISOS ID card.

To do this, you'll go to the ISOS website and

use the John Hopkins University ID login in the member area.

The login is posted here on the slide, but we'll also provide it on the lecture page.

Once you get to the ISOS Hopkins page, you'll find travel information,

emergency contact numbers to have overseas.

And you'll be able to print the card from this page as well.

What you need to remember about ISOS is that it does service.

It's not an insurance, and someone is going to ultimately pay for

some of these services.

So, while ISOS is an amazing resource provided to you,

that can help you get out of a sticky situation, someone is going to pay.

And that someone is likely to be you.

ISOS also has some limitations and rules about what you can use their services for.

So, you should use your personal resources as the first method of payment if you can,

and in an emergency, ISOS can guarantee payment for

a medical service with authorization from Hopkins.

And if the payment guarantee is made, students will need to reimburse Hopkins.

So, ISOS charges Hopkins, and Hopkins will charge you.

There are some exclusions to this though.

So, if you're out traveling around having some fun, doing some adventure sports,

caving, rock climbing,

sky diving, these do not constitute an international emergency.

So, you can't use ISOS in these occasions.

Remember that providing people with information is the best way

to avoid an emergency, or to have people help you in an emergency.

So, make sure that your family can contact you or

your in-country supervisor in case of an emergency.

Print your itinerary, give copies of your itinerary to your family,

to your supervisors, to your faculty member.

Keep contact information for your insurance company, for ISOS, and for

your in countries supervisors, so that in case of an emergency,

you know who to contact, and you can get in touch with them.

And really importantly, make sure that your travel is registered

on the Hopkins International Travel Registry, because this is the best way for

faculty and staff to come together.

Take a look at who's traveling in a country that might be experiencing

an emergency, either a natural disaster or public health related, and

to help organize and facilitate an evacuation if it's necessary.

So, please make sure that you register your travel.

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Emergencies

International Travel Preparation, Safety, & Wellness

Meet the Instructors