Wish You Were Here: Bright Horizons offers help to employers affected by H1N1 and during other public health emergencies

Although H1N1 pandemic panic seems to be waning somewhat, the recent international outbreak is an important reminder to individuals and employers to stay vigilant and prepared for disasters, including a global pandemic.

To give companies a hand, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, provider of employer-sponsored child care and back-up care, has announced a new emergency child care solution to help employers and working families manage during times of public health emergencies, like those related to H1N1 (swine flu), when schools are closed and regular child care is not available due to possible health risks.

“We are offering this new program to provide employers with immediate access to a wide range of back-up solutions that solve their business challenges and support the best practices in preventive health measures,” says Bright Horizons CEO Dave Lissy. “In keeping with our core mission, this service provides children with excellent care, gives parents the peace-of-mind they need to be present and productive at work, and offers employers creative answers to real time business needs.”

Back-Up Care Advantage: Crisis Care Assist provides employees of Bright Horizons clients with access to a nationwide network of in-home child care providers and payment for care they arrange within their family or existing social network. Through the program, care is also available any time of day or night and for any duration necessary, which can be especially beneficial to hospital workers, for instance, who may have to work overnight shifts or extended hours due to high demands in the face of a national health emergency.

The service can be implemented within 48 hours for even large multi-site employers.

Tip of the Day: Revisit, revise your disaster preparedness/response plan

In light of the swine flu outbreak, it's a good idea for employers to review and perhaps update their disaster preparedness/response plans to specifically address what individual employees and your company as a whole will do in case of a pandemic.

I recently spoke with Aon Consulting's Ken Groh, who shared his advice for how HR/benefits pros -- generally the lead authors on such plans -- should shape/reshape their policies should the number and severity of swine flu cases worsen. Click here to download the podcast, and here to download Aon's resources and news updates on swine flu.

Of course, the best source for info and updates is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention swine flu Web site.