International SOS Means You’re Never Far from Help
For the faculty,students, and staff—over 100 in all—who typically travel abroad each year, Einstein’s Global Health Center (GHC) provides a handy checklist to help with their international travel preparations. The information includes tips on a variety of topics, including vaccinations, passport and visa requirements, and protecting and securing Einstein-owned data. The GHC also offers a global assistance program via International SOS (I-SOS), an insurance program that covers emergency evacuation and provides round-the-clock assistance with medical, security, and logistical issues.
![International SOS is offered free to all members of the Einstein community and offers a world of helpful services and information for those traveling abroad.]()
International SOS is offered free to all members of the Einstein community and offers a world of helpful services and information for those traveling abroad.
But that’s not all: The College of Medicine picks up the tab for providing I-SOS to cover any member of the Einstein and Montefiore community—including staff, students or faculty—who plan to travel abroad.
“Enrolling in I-SOS is required for students applying for a global health fellowship,” said Jill Raufman, director of Medical Student Global Health Programs. She especially appreciates the check-in feature on the mobile app. “I ask my students to check in every couple of days on the app. All they need to do is push a button, and I can see where they are on my map.”
Why Use I-SOS?
I-SOS offers general travel advice on medical issues (avoiding altitude illness or deep vein thrombosis); safety (crime, dust storms); and food safety. In addition, there are personal safety tips specific to women traveling alone.
Signing up with I-SOS is optional for faculty and staff, but Ms. Raufman recommends it because you can sign up for itinerary-specific e-mail and text alerts about hurricanes, terrorist activity and other unfolding events, in addition to being covered in case a non-disastrous problem arises.
She noted, “Among the key benefits of our partnership with International SOS is the availability of its Assistance App a mobile app that can help you plan for travel, receive advice from experts, and get assistance from a live person anytime, anywhere—and its COVID Trip Planner, which offers critical information on restrictions and quarantines based on where you’re departing from and heading to.”
Like registration with I-SOS, the Assistance App is free for all Albert Einstein College of Medicine students, staff, and faculty and accessible to download from the I-SOS webpage on the GHC site.
Be Prepared for Whatever is Apt to Occur
Among the ways that the Assistance App can help you include:
- Alerting you of risks and trip disturbances with the latest information on COVID-19, including inbound and outbound travel restrictions.
- Providing pre-trip preparation checklists tailored to your location.
- Sending you push notifications about developing incidents or emergencies that may affect your health, safety, or cause delays in your travel.
- Offering research on your travel destinations to better understand any requirements, such as needed vaccinations and developing situations that may affect your health or safety. The custom content is developed and updated by I-SOS’s worldwide network of medical and security experts with local knowledge of each specific destination.
- Providing access to a live person 24/7: No matter what the issue, I-SOS can connect you with the medical, security, or travel professional you need. With one tap, the app will connect via chat or phone to a live person in one of the 27 I-SOS Assistance Centers located worldwide.
- Sharing your location with both Einstein and I-SOS, so that help can be offered in the event of an emergency, at home or abroad.
- Providing a COVID Trip Planner through which you can access any COVID-related restrictions or requirements relevant to your trip, all in the palm of your hand.
Offering Peace of Mind
“I was vacationing in Chile and I received helpful information about flooding in the Andes Mountains that had led to other tourists getting trapped,” noted a staff member who heeded Ms. Raufman’s advice to sign up before departing for South America. “I knew not to plan a trip there, which could have been dangerous at the time. I also got updates about areas where Zika virus was a concern.”
In addition, I-SOS assistance centers in Philadelphia, London, and Singapore provide emergency help with medical evacuation, return home of minor children, legal referrals, interpreters, and personal cash advances.
To register, visit the Einstein I-SOS portal – it will open a world of information to you, as well as security, while you travel. Scroll down to "MY TRIPS" to register. For questions, email jill.raufman@einsteinmed.edu.
Posted on: Thursday, March 24, 2022