Methods, Systems, and Suggestions: Health, Safety, & Crisis Response

Below are a number of resources available to education abroad administrators, campus risk managers, students, parents, and faculty to better prepare for an experience abroad in terms of overall risk management, health, and safety abroad. These resources are grouped according to their similar nature.

Publications

Crisis Management in a Cross-Cultural Setting
A compendium of experience and expertise from many professionals in the field of international educational exchange, Crisis Management in a Cross-Cultural Setting is an essential source book, designed to prepare international educators for crises.

Easy Planning Guide for Good Health Abroad
This brochure is an easy, multi-step guide to help students make sure from beginning to end that health issues, new or existing, don't get in their way of learning as much as they can and enjoying themselves while doing it.

NAFSA's Guide to Education Abroad for Advisers and Administrators, Third Edition
Substantially revised and expanded, this new edition of the Guide has notably enhanced a book that was already regarded as indispensable by education abroad professionals.

The Guide to Successful Short-Term Programs Abroad
A very useful chapter on "Safeguards for Short-Term Programs" covers everything from insurance issues to student health to crisis situations and more.

Effective Crisis Management (573kb )
An article by Joseph L. Brockington published in NAFSA's International Educator magazine, Jul/Aug 2006.

Let My Students Go
An article by Scott Jaschik published on Inside Higher Education, March 10, 2006.

Online Resources

From NAFSA

Fledging the Phoenix (3.7Mb )
Universities are reaching out to help victims in many parts of the world to rise from the ashes of natural disasters. Reconstruction efforts have been formed in many different ways that connect international education to those populations.

Responsible Study Abroad: Good Practices for Health & Safety
Because the health and safety of study abroad participants are primary concerns, these statements of good practice have been developed to provide guidance to institutions, participants (including faculty and staff), and parents/guardians/families.

Health, Safety, & Security: Sample Web Sites of Programs & Institutions
Many institutions provide information regarding safety in education abroad via their Web sites. Many of these sites are those of institutions represented on the Education Abroad Health and Safety Subcommittee and the Interassociational Advisory Committee on Health and Safety. The content of these sites ranges from communications intended for students and parents to emergency contingency plans.

Best Practices in Addressing Mental Health Issues Affecting Education Abroad Participants
This publication provides education abroad professionals (located both in and outside the United States) with a better understanding of how to identify and help education abroad participants facing mental health challenges.

From Government and Government-Funded Resources

U.S. Department of State (DOS) Travel Information
This site has a number of resources for U.S. citizens traveling abroad, including travel tips, document requirements, passport services, travel warnings, consular information sheets, and overseas citizen services. Also, schools or individuals can register their students with the DOS. Of particular interest to education abroad practitioners are Travel Warnings and Public Announcements. Travel Warnings are issued when the DOS recommends that U.S. citizens avoid a certain country. Public Announcements are used to disseminate information quickly about terrorist threats and other relatively short-term conditions that pose significant risks or disruptions to U.S. citizens.

Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC)
OSAC is a division of the U.S. State Department that fosters the exchange of security information between the government and the private sector operating abroad. The general Web site provides information regarding recent events, as well as links to current public announcements and consular information.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the principal agency in the U.S. government for protecting the health and safety of all U.S. citizens. In addition to providing valuable domestic information, the CDC maintains an extensive array of traveler's health information, including disease outbreaks and vaccination requirements.

World Health Organization (WHO)
The World Health Organization is the United Nations specialized agency for health. It maintains an extensive list of worldwide information on country-specific health concerns, disease outbreaks, and health emergencies.

SAFETI Clearinghouse
The SAFETI (Safety Abroad First - Educational Travel Information) Clearinghouse Project develops and disseminates resources to support study abroad program development and implementation, emphasizing issues of health and safety. This resource is made possible using a World Wide Web-based clearinghouse format, enhancing collaboration between higher education institutions, government, and nongovernmental organizations. It is funded through support by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) of the U.S. Department of Education.