Plan Ahead for Winter Weather

There is a possibility of a significant snowstorm this weekend.  Be sure to review these important Carilion severe weather procedures.

1. Know the Inclement Weather Policy

Ask your manager if your job is considered an emergency personnel position and if you are required to come to work in inclement weather. If so, please be careful and have a plan in place so you can make it to and from work safely. Read the Inclement Weather Policy (PDF).

If you're not considered emergency personnel, check with your manager about your department's policies and processes for inclement weather.

2. Check CarilionClinic.org for Practice Closings and Adjusted Hours During Severe Weather

If any practices have adjusted their hours due to the weather, there will be a banner on the top of the CarilionClinic.org homepage. Click on the banner to view the list of practices with changes. Click on More Details for each practice to see details about whether the practice is closed, opening late, or closing early.

Some locations have multiple practices within a location; be sure to verify the specific practice or department at the location that has an adjusted schedule.

If there's no banner, all practices are on their normal schedules.

Be sure to encourage your patients and their family members to check CarilionClinic.org before heading to their appointments when severe weather is in the forecast.

3. Providing Virtual Care During Inclement Weather

When in-person visits aren’t possible (due to weather or other circumstances), virtual visits ensure uninterrupted patient care. Job aids about converting in-person visits to virtual visits are available on the Digital Health hub.

4. Check Inside Carilion for Updates

We will post an alert on the InsideCarilion.org homepage if there are operational updates related to the weather event. 

5. Call to See if Your Class is Cancelled

• Information regarding classes that are delayed, canceled or may be converted to a virtual format can be accessed by calling 866-983-4143, option 1.
• Please listen to the message carefully; some classes may be canceled while others may be converted to a virtual format. You will receive log-in information if your class will be held but converted to a virtual format.
• The information is available 2 hours prior to the start of a class. In instances of severe weather events, information may be available the night before classes.
• This information is not provided elsewhere, only through the class cancellation line above.
• In all instances, regardless of the status of a class, you should do what is safest for you.

6. Prepare in Advance if You Plan to Work from Home

If you plan to access Carilion applications from home (such as email, Office 365, or the Apps site), be sure you have signed up for multi-factor authentication through Imprivata ID. You will need to use it to verify your log-in information. Instructions for signing up are available on Employee Center.

Once you have signed up, you'll be able to access your email from the Inside Carilion homepage or through outlook.office.com/. If you need to access the Carilion network, use our Apps site at apps.CarilionClinic.org. The Apps site provides a secure connection to Carilion applications such as Epic, UKG and Workday. To log on, use your AD username and password.

The Inside Carilion homepage is available without going through the Apps site; enter InsideCarilion.org in your browser to log in. If there is an alert posted, you will be able to see it there. Some documents on Inside Carilion will not available unless you are on the network or using the Apps site to access it.

The Technology Services Group hub has more information and job aids to help.

7. Emergency Lodging

Several area hotels offer discounted lodging for Carilion employees; however, employees are responsible for their own lodging and transportation to work.

• Colony House Motor Lodge: 3560 Franklin Road, Roanoke, VA, 24014; 540-510-9200; or use online booking code: SNOW
• Comfort Inn - Bluefield: 38769 Gov. George C Peery Highway, Bluefield, VA 24605; 276-708-7487
• Hampton Inn - Downtown Roanoke: 27 Church Avenue S.E., Roanoke, VA, 24011, Phone: 540-400-6000
• Hampton Inn - Christiansburg: 380 Arbor Drive, Christiansburg, VA 24073; 540-381-5874
• Hilton Garden Inn - Blacksburg: 900 Plantation Road, Blacksburg, VA 24060; 540-552-5005
• Hilton Garden Inn - Roanoke: 4500 South Peak Blvd., Roanoke, VA 24018; 540-776-3400
• Home 2 Suites - Roanoke Airport/Valley View Mall: 4830 Valley View Blvd., Roanoke, VA 24012; 540-366-6300
• Hyatt Place - Blacksburg: 650 University City Blvd., Blacksburg, VA 24060; 540-552-7500
• The Inn at Virginia Tech: 901 Price Fork Road, Blacksburg, VA 24061; 540-231-8000
• Liberty Trust: 101 S Jefferson Street, Roanoke, VA 24011; 540-299-5100
• Lilly Valley Inn: 25 River Ridge Drive, Pearisburg, VA 24134; 540-910-3123
• Spark By Hilton: 3695 Thirlane Road NW, Roanoke, VA 24019; 540-240-24019
• Springhill Suites: 301 Reserve Ave. S.W., Roanoke, VA, 24016; 540-400-6226

Hotel Roanoke also offers discounts for Carilion employees, but it is already fully booked for the upcoming winter weather event. 

8. Most Importantly, Stay Safe!

Our patients are counting on us to be here for them regardless of the weather—please make sure you are ready to deal with any severe weather. The National Weather Service has winter weather tips to stay safe.

For more information on preparing for a winter storm, visit the Virginia Department of Emergency Management website.