Business Continuity Plans

Business Continuity at UCSF 

UCSF’s Enterprise Business Continuity Program ensures that essential functions and services, including administration, academics, IT, patient care, and research, continue during and after disruptions such as natural disasters, cyber incidents, pandemics, labor shortages, or technology failures. The program enhances UCSF’s capacity to protect its people, operations, and reputation while fostering a culture of readiness and long-term sustainability. 

What We Do 

The program supports UCSF’s mission by focusing on: 

  • Operational Resilience: Preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disruptions across UCSF campuses and facilities. 

  • Safety and Protection: Prioritizing the health and safety of patients, staff, learners, and visitors while protecting critical systems and assets. 

  • Reliability and Compliance: Meeting regulatory requirements and reducing operational, financial, and reputational risk. 

  • Preparedness and Partnership: Building a shared culture of readiness through collaboration across departments and leadership. 

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Program Scope

UCSF’s Business Continuity Program addresses: 

  • Critical Functions such as patient care, research, clinical operations, and information technology 

  • A wide range of disruptions, including natural hazards, cyber threats, system outages, and civil unrest 

  • Enterprise-wide coordination, spanning leadership, hospitals, departments, and key partners 

  • End-to-end continuity planning, including risk assessments, business impact analyses, recovery strategies, training, and exercises.

How the Program Works

The program follows a continuous lifecycle that includes: 

  • Identifying critical services and recovery priorities in Business Impact Analyses (BIA) 

  • Assessing risks and vulnerabilities through the EEM led Hazard Vulnerability Analyses (HVA) Program 

  • Developing and maintaining continuity and recovery plans 

  • Training staff and validating plans through exercises 

  • Activating plans during incidents and continuously improving based on lessons learned 

Health Care Facility Continuity of Operations/Business Continuity Planning

UCSF Health Facility (hospitals, ambulatory sites, labs, etc.) Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) are referred to as Continuity of Operations Plans (COOPs) in the healthcare setting and Joint Commission terminology. Health Facility COOPs are tailored to UCSF hospitals and facilities, clearly identifying essential services, leadership roles, key dependencies, and recovery priorities. Health Facility COOPs are organized around risks to the hospital facility as outlined in each facility's HVA. Health Department-level BCPs provide additional details to support coordinated response and recovery. 

Campus Business Continuity Planning 

There are BC plans for UCSF Campus departments across Financial and Administrative Services (FAS), the Chancellor’s Office, research, and the academic and learner communities. Large departments like FAS’s Campus Life Services (CLS) have numerous BCPs due to CLS's respective specialized essential functions. The teaching and research community BCPs are being refined to efficiently address research lab needs (including the Lab Animal Resource Center [LARC]) and essential academic functions across the UCSF enterprise. 

Storage & Plan Activation 

Department Business Continuity Plans are created and maintained in the system of record, Risk Ready. Health Facility Joint Commission-required Continuity of Operations Plans (COOPs) are stored in PowerDMS. Plans are evaluated annually and updated as needed. 

 

 

Points of Contact 

 

For more information about Campus Business Continuity Plans, please reach out to: 

 

Ro Rodarte-Do, CBCP (she/her(s)/ella) 

Continuity Program & Planning Manager (UCSF) 
(415) 689.0977 cell/text 

[email protected] 

 

For more information about Health Facility Continuity of Operations Plans (COOPS)/Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) and/or Health Department Business Continuity Plans (BCPs), please reach out to: 

 

Emma Wellard, AICP, GISP (she/her) 

Business Continuity & Emergency Analyst (UCSF) 
(415) 542.8517 cell/text 

[email protected]