The Department is creating a comprehensive plan to insure continuation of operation in the event of a disaster (natural or man-made), and to insure the protection of “sensitive” information (such as patient or personal information).

There are several reasons for expending time and resources on this plan for Pathology:
- such a plan is part of good research and business planning.
- A contingency plan “ ... is required by Florida Statutes Section 252.365.” (http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/RiskMgmt/COOP/default.asp)
- protection of sensitive information is required by several federal and state statutes (HIPAA, FERPA, Florida Statute 817.5668) (http://security.health.ufl.edu/).

There are four areas in the department where continuity of operation is important:
1. The research programs
2. Academic/central departmental functions
3. The DRL (Diagnostic Reference Laboratory)
4. The Medical Examiner’s Office
.
Planning for the research programs will be done by each PI, supported by the Division IV administration. Planning for the other three areas will be managed by administrative staff from each area.

Tasks
The current task is to catalog information and materials that
- must be protected at all times
- have special protection requirements in times of disaster
- are needed to continue operations in the event of a disaster.
To simplify this cataloging process, the Information and Material Classification table (MSWord Format) (PDF Format) is a convenient form to record and document the necessary data on sensitive/critical information and materials.

Emergency Protection Plan for Physical Media Containing Restricted Information
Emergency Protection Plan for Restricted Information Stored as Accessible Data