UCSF Offers Employees, Students Advice on Business Travel

Faculty, staff and students who register their UC business trips through the UC travel system can be automatically notified about emerging global health threats or disasters.

During the current swine flu outbreak, University travelers who are registered in the UC global alert system are automatically receiving travel and health advisory updates from iJet Travel Intelligence, UC’s security and traveler intelligence partner, via Worldcue Traveler emails.

After registering in the system, employees and students get information to use in an emergency, both domestically and abroad, while traveling on UC business. The system also provides UCSF staff in the United States with access to emergency contact information for their campus colleagues who are traveling domestically or abroad.

This is an important tool for UC travelers, given the increasing numbers of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States and Mexico as well as in other countries. The World Health Organization on Wednesday raised its pandemic alert level to 5—its second-highest level—warning of widespread human infection from the swine flu outbreak that originated in Mexico. Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised that non-essential travel to Mexico be deferred until the outbreak has passed. 

Those who are planning to go to Mexico – even those who have already made travel plans – should visit the UCSF Risk Management and Insurance Services travel safety webpage, or contact Andrew Sinclair, UCSF Risk Management, at 415/476-3460.

Free Travel Coverage

The Office of Risk Services at the UC Office of the President purchased travel accident coverage for employees and students traveling on official University business to provide – at no cost to them – a wide variety of medical emergency, evacuation or extraction, and other services when incidents occur while they are away from their campus or primary workplace.

Registration in the UC travel system automatically links a traveler to Worldcue Traveler. When emergency situations arise, Worldcue Traveler emails alert the traveler as well as staff in the United States. During the terrorist acts in Mumbai, India, in November, for example, UCSF Risk Management staff were able to contact faculty in India, using the emergency contact information they had entered when they registered their travel, to help ensure their safety.

“Since we launched our online travel safety system in 2008, Risk Management has been in contact with numerous traveling staff and faculty during emergency situations,” says Bruce G. Flynn, director of UCSF Risk Management and Insurance Services. “This is the first time we’ve tested the system during a potential pandemic. So far, we’ve contacted three staff and faculty travelers in Mexico, and all is well. Having real-time information on travelers enables a quick response to unforeseen circumstances.”

Any UC traveler who is not yet registered in the system may register now or contact Risk Management to ensure that their contact information is put into the system, enabling them to receive the real-time email alerts.

For more information or to register, go here.

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UCSF Risk Management and Insurance Services