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The UT Health Science Center is launching an emergency notification service called HSC Alert.

This service will allow faculty, staff, students and residents on all campuses of the Health Science Center to sign up to be notified — via text messaging — in the event of an emergency or imminent campus closure. The text message can be received on your designated mobile phone, PDA, Blackberry/Treo, alphanumeric pager or e-mail address. The cost of this service is being underwritten by the Health Science Center and is free to those who sign up.

This service will add another immediate mechanism to the several existing communication methods that we have in place to alert the university community to an emergency situation, such as global e-mails, notices on our Web site and the “snow” information lines - 210.567.SNOW and 956.365.UTEL.

System to be used for emergency notification
The system will be used only for emergency contact purposes and last-minute campus closures. For example, it will send notifications regarding a life-threatening situation, major facility emergency or evacuation and/or severe weather. HSC Alert will not be used to distribute general informational notices, advertising or other unsolicited content. Please note that subscribers to HSC Alert will pay no fees for the service other than any regular fees charged by their wireless carriers to receive text messages.

Subscribing is on a voluntary opt-in basis
Subscribers may register two mobile devices and two e-mail addresses (i.e., work and/or personal e-mail addresses).

How to sign up
Signing up for HSC Alert is simple!

• Sign in on the portal with your username and password.
  
• Click on the “Services” tab.
• Click on the “Sign Up” link to opt-in to the service.

You will need to have with you the mobile phone(s), PDA(s) and/or pager(s) from which you want to receive HSC Alert messages. The reason for this is that sign up requires that a validation number be sent to the mobile device(s) you choose. You must receive this validation number — and enter it into the registration system — prior to completing the sign up process.

Maintaining your account is your responsibility

After your initial registration, you must maintain your account by updating it with your most current information. For example, you are responsible for entering into the HSC Alert system database any changes you make to your mobile phone number, carrier, e-mail address, etc.

Encourage your co-workers to sign up
You can encourage and remind your colleagues to sign up by printing and posting this flyer on bulletin boards in your department. Don’t delay! Register now for this text messaging system! Your decision to do so could save your life — and that of others.