Jesse Brown VA Medical Center

NATO Summit Action and Status

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will hold its 25th summit bringing together more than 50 heads of state and national governments at the McCormick Place in Chicago May 19-21.

This event will impact travel throughout Chicago and ALL Jesse Brown VAMC employees should plan accordingly.

* The medical center and all clinics will be open. ALL employees are considered essential during the NATO summit – May 19-21. Employees should report to work during their regular tour of duty unless in an approved leave status.

• In the event the parking garage is full, additional parking will be available in the Illinois Medical District lots at Damen and Ogden (entrance off Damen) and Lexington and Hoyne (entrance on Hoyne). There is no charge to park in these lots.
• The 2030 Taylor St gate will be closed starting May 17 at 6 pm and will remain closed until 6 am, Tuesday, May 22.
• The Taylor St shuttle entrance will remain open on Friday, May 18 until 8:30 p.m. and will be closed Saturday-Sunday-Monday.
• Polk St will remain closed except for authorized deliveries.  
• 820 Damen Ave and Ogden will be open for business as usual.     
• 100% ID check will start tomorrow at 5 a.m. and remain in effect until Tuesday, May 22 at 5 am.  
• Random bag checks will be conducted upon entering the facility.   

* Transportation routes WILL BE impacted. Staff should plan ahead, allowing additional travel time to their daily commute in order to arrive for their regular tour of duty. Information regarding street closures and rolling closures is attached. Review this information and plan your route accordingly. The JBVAMC shuttle to Lakeside CBOC will run as scheduled, but delays are expected. Employees using Metra should review information about train operations during the NATO Summit at: http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home/service_updates/g8_nato_summit.html 

* Employees who use public transportation under the Transit Benefit Program and plan to drive and park in the parking garage during the summit, should contact Jessica Josephs, Transit Benefit Program coordinator, at Jessica.Josephs@va.gov or ext. 56458.

* Staff must carry their VA issued identification with them at ALL times.  Employees should have their ID with them upon entry into the building.

* To report an emergency or suspicious activity, immediately contact VA police at 312 569-6505 or directly at ext. 56505.  Employees can also call VA police within the facility by calling 911. Callers should provide as much detail as possible, and stay on the line until instructed by the police dispatcher to end the call.

* Employees should be familiar with emergency codes as follows:

> CODE GRAY-----Police and Security Incident-------If safe, stay in place and wait for further instructions.
> CODE PURPLE---Evacuation-----Review your service evacuation plan
> CODE ORANGE-D----Hazardous Material Event
> CODE GREEN---Utility Outage-More information will be provided as to the type of outage once identified  

* Also, in the event of an emergency, employees should call the main medical center number at 312-569-8387 to hear a recorded message regarding the medical center status and other updates.