Emergency Preparedness

The UT Health Science Center offers several resources to help you prepare for campus emergencies . These include signing up for HSC Alert, the university's emergency text message and e-mail service, and three emergency training tools that can prepare you for an emergency situation. Also covered in this section is a list of the ways that you can receive information about emergencies or campus closures.

HSC Alert

HSC Alert is one of several methods the Health Science Center uses to alert the university community to an emergency situation or campus closure. Those who sign up will receive text and/or e-mail messages about campus emergencies and closures.

To sign up for HSC Alert or to update cell phone numbers or e-mail addresses designated to receive alert messages, follow these instructions. For assistance with the process, call (210) 567-7777.

Emergency training

• A training video, “Shots Fired on Campus,” helps faculty, staff and students learn how to report suspicious activity or survive a campus shooting. To view the video, sign in on the portal, http://inside.uthscsa.edu, using your UT Health Science Center ID and password. The video is located under the red bar labeled “In case of campus emergency.”
• The “How to Survive an Active Shooter” handout gives additional information on this important topic.
• The “Emergency Preparedness Reference Guide” gives tips on how to respond to all types of emergencies on campus, from tornadoes to chemical spills and shooters on campus.

Communication during a campus emergency

• HSC Alert is one of several methods the Health Science Center uses to alert the university community about an emergency situation or campus closure. Those who sign up will receive text and/or e-mail messages about campus emergencies and closings. The only charge is the usual fee for receiving a text message from your phone carrier

  To sign up for HSC Alert or to update cell phone numbers or e-mail addresses designated to receive alert messages, sign in on the portal and follow the instructions in the HSC Alert Section. For assistance with the process, call (210) 567-7777 and choose option 2.

• The Health Science Center also uses 24-hour telephone message lines to disseminate important campus information. The message line telephone numbers are listed below:
  • Call (210) 567-SNOW (7669) in San Antonio
  • Call (956) 365-UTEL (8835) for emergency information for the Regional Campus in Laredo and the Regional Academic Health Center campuses in Edinburg and Harlingen
• The Campus Status page, accessible from the university home page, reports the daily operating status of the campus and lists helpful phone numbers and links to emergency information outlets.


• Canvas is used to communicate emergency messages to students and faculty members.
• Global e-mails are also sent to alert faculty, staff, students and residents of emergency situations and closures.