Student Health Services; Environmental Health & Safety; Human Resources

Prompt recognition and identification is the first step in the control of any communicable disease, whether it is prevalent, emerging, or used for bioterrorism. The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) acknowledges the seriousness of this public health problem and in an effort to be prepared for and control communicable diseases, which affect faculty, staff, students, visitors or employees on campus, has developed the following policy and procedures.

Policy

UNCW’s Environmental Health and Safety, Human Resources and Student Health Services shall provide training and/or ongoing educational campaigns to persons about communicable diseases.

Persons with communicable diseases shall not be excluded from enrollment or employment or restricted in their access to university facilities, programs or services unless a medically based judgment, in an individual case, establishes that exclusion or restriction is necessary for the health and safety of the infected individual or the health and safety of other members of the university community.

Students who know, or have reasonable basis for believing, that they have a communicable disease are encouraged to share that information with clinicians in the University Counseling Center or Abrons Student Health Center, so that the University can respond appropriately to their health and educational needs. Faculty and staff who know, or have reasonable basis for believing, that they have a communicable disease are encouraged to share that information with their supervisor, health care provider, Environmental Health and Safety, Human Resources and Student Health Services, as appropriate, so that the university can respond appropriately to their health and educational needs. Any such disclosure shall be treated by the recipient as strictly confidential and no further disclosure shall be made within or without the university unless such release is made pursuant to provisions of law that specifically authorize or require the release of such information or records.

Persons who know, or have reasonable basis for believing, that they have a communicable disease are expected to seek expert advice about their health circumstances and are obligated, ethically and legally, to conduct themselves responsibly in accordance with such knowledge for the protection of other members of the university community.

The Chancellor’s Council on Health and Wellness is responsible to advise the chancellor’s office of campus initiatives for addressing communicable diseases. The council will work with other administrators, such as directors and department heads, to ensure that relevant information about communicable disease is available to all faculty, staff, and students and that more detailed information and personal consultation is available upon request.

Printed information about communicable diseases is available in Environmental Health and Safety, Human Resources and Student Health Services (i.e. Abrons’ Student Health Center and Health Promotions), Student Recreation Center, University Union, academic buildings and residence halls.

Faculty and staff who have knowledge of highly contagious diseases (i.e. meningitis, tuberculosis, SARS, etc.) shall notify the highest level administrator, who will initiate the communication cascade which may include university officials and the New Hanover County Health Department for evaluation, treatment and preventive measures.

The official university spokesperson on communicable disease shall be the chancellor, or designee. All inquiries from the press, from elected public officials, or the public, in general, are to be referred to the university spokesperson.