Weather-related Impact on Medical Center Operations, Classes

January 16, 2024

TO: UMMC Faculty, Staff and Students
FROM:Dr. Jonathan Wilson, Chief Administrative Officer
SUBJECT: Weather-related Impact on Medical Center Operations, Classes

A wintry mix, including sleet, ice, freezing rain and snow in some areas, is affecting travel in most of the central and northern parts of the state. 

All in-person classes and student activities are cancelled for today except for students who participate in patient care activities. Students with clinical assignments should report as usual unless they are directed otherwise by their supervisor. If driving conditions prevent a student from reporting for clinical duties, he or she should contact the supervisor for that area. Class leaders who plan to conduct virtual learning will coordinate those activities with students. 

The Rowland Medical Library and Nelson Student Union are closed today. 

Adult and pediatric ambulatory clinics, including imaging, located in central and north Mississippi are closed today. Patients who have a scheduled appointment today have been directly contacted and their appointment will be rescheduled. Employees of impacted clinics should have received notification of this change, but if you believe you work at a clinic scheduled to be closed today and have not been called, please reach out to your supervisor. 

The UMMC Neurosurgery clinic in Hattiesburg is closed today. 

Children’s of Mississippi clinics in Hattiesburg and the Gulf Coast remain open. Any patient who will be unable to get to their scheduled appointment at any of these locations should contact the clinic. 

All Jackson hospital-based appointments and operations remain as scheduled. Patients who have a scheduled procedure at the main Jackson campus, including with Children’s of Mississippi, should expect to keep that appointment. Any patient who will be unable to get to their scheduled appointment should call the phone number associated with that appointment. 

Employees in an office or unit that is not responsible for direct patient care that hasn’t already been mentioned above should refer to the Medical Center’s Inclement Weather and Emergency Events policy and the guidelines it provides in instances when normal operations are altered or you are unable to maintain your regular work schedule due to weather. 

Generally, employees who are designated as Red according to the policy should expect to keep their regularly scheduled work arrangement and report for his or her shift as normal. Managers should communicate directly with their employees who are designated as Yellow or Green to either coordinate remote work, if available, or submit for personal time off or uncompensated leave. 

Managers of these units should communicate directly with staff to outline how this change in Medical Center operations impacts them. 

Details of any additional changes or cancellations will be shared through email and other official communication channels, including AlertU. If you have not signed up to receive emergency notifications, you can do so using the instructions found here. 

The University of Mississippi Medical Center operates 24/7/365 to provide essential health care services. Our citizens and communities depend on us to be there in times of need. 

Thank you.