Heading to Germany: Week of September 27th

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

I’m sending this update out a day early because I’m preparing to get on an airplane bound for Germany in a couple of hours. We’ve packed a bunch of things into this short week!

On Monday we hosted our quarterly Board of Trustee meeting on campus. It’s always extremely rewarding to be able to share all the great things that our students, faculty and staff are doing with our Board as well as listen and learn from their observations and recommendations. We’re really lucky to have such an engaged Board of Trustees.



On Tuesday, I spent the day at Capitol Hill participating in Senator Bob Casey’s Higher Education Roundtable. The meeting provided us a forum to discuss key issues affecting higher education in the Commonwealth. I had the opportunity to bring up several issues that I felt would be beneficial to our students. This is what I shared with the group:

1. Federal Student Loan structure is dysfunctional and contributary to our current student loan crisis. Many of our students are graduating with $200K student loan debt. This is exacerbated by relatively high interest rates for Federal loans and the fact that interest starts to accrue once the promissory note is signed as opposed to having interest deferred until graduation or shortly thereafter. The Federal Government really should not be profiting off these loans.
2. As part of the government sequestration, origination fees were placed on federal loans which reduce the net amount a student receives when loans disburse to the school. The student is responsible for repaying the gross loan amount, so they are responsible for repaying money (and interest on those funds) which they never receive. The rates are currently 1.062% for Unsubsidized Loans and 4.248% for PLUS Loans and will drop by only fractions of a percent for loans first disbursed on or after October 1, 2019. Students in most of our programs rely heavily on PLUS loans to fund their education and incur several hundred dollars in fees each year.
3. Congress needs to consider adding graduate students to Pell eligibility. We’re not sure why the Federal government draws a distinction between undergraduate and graduate education in this instance, especially if we’re trying to ensure a diverse student body has the financial means to pursue the health science professions, law and other similar endeavors.
4. Scope of Practice. Our providers should be able to practice at the levels at which they are trained. Pennsylvania’s scope of practice laws limit optometry to the point where many of our graduates leave the state to practice in neighboring states so they can practice full scope. Additionally, audiology is currently not recognized by CMS as an independent profession, thus requiring referrals in order to be reimbursed. Each of our professions are regulated with their scopes limited by archaic rules and regulations. If we are truly going to improve access and quality and decrease costs, professions must be allowed to practice at their highest levels. This is currently not the case. 

As you might imagine, this list spawned a great deal of discussion with everyone around the table that these were issues that Congress and others needed to address now. We’ll see what happens!

Earlier today, I participated in the Special Medical Advisory Group for the Veteran’s Health Administration. While I can’t go into detail, it proved to be an interesting morning discussing programs that will greatly benefit our Veterans in the near future.

Starting next week, the Pennsylvania Ear Institute (PEI) will be seeing patients at The Eye Institute (TEI) on Tuesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PEI will be providing comprehensive hearing services including evaluations, tinnitus and cerumen management and hearing aid fittings and repairs. Integrating our care is paramount to everything we do. This is a great first step in the right direction! Thanks to the staff for making this happen.

If you remember from one of last month’s updates, low vision patient, Heather Napolitano recently held her annual fundraiser, SeeShore Fest, as a way to advocate for people with low vision issues. Based on her experiences with Dr. Kenny at the William Feinbloom Center, Heather listed The Eye Institute (TEI) as one of the beneficiaries of SeeShore Fest 2019 - and yesterday, Heather stopped by TEI to present the check. Thank you so much to Heather for advocating for TEI!

This week, we are saying goodbye to one of our beloved security guards, Greg Barnes. Greg is retiring after 19 years of looking out for the welfare of others. Thank you for your service in helping to keep our campus safe, we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

Today, some of our Salus staff and students are out in Cherry Hill providing vision screenings to homeless veterans at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recurring event “Stand Downs”. This is such an important cause to be involved with and I’m so proud of the members of our Salus community who volunteer time and again to give back! We are also participating in the Arcadia Health & Wellness Fest today and the Chestnut Hill Fall for the Arts Festival on Sunday! Be sure to check out our University and Health calendars for more information on upcoming events.

If you’ve gone by the Hafter Center recently, I’m sure you’ve noticed the ongoing construction for our new Sensory Garden that will be completed by next summer. To read more about what’s to come with the project, check out salus.edu/sensorygarden.

Finally, I think it’s going to be another nice few days around here, so I encourage you all to get out and enjoy the nice Fall weather. Weather for Berlin is supposed to be partly cloudy, with some rain and about 62 degrees. Perfect running weather! By the time most of you wake up on Sunday I should be well into the 26.2-mile marathon course in Berlin. Should be “fun”! Truth be told, I’m really looking forward to the beer and pretzels (and sports massage) afterwards! Be safe, have fun and look out for one another!

Mike

Last Weekend of Summer: Week of September 20th

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

Good morning, as we start the last weekend of summer! Fall begins on Monday 23 September. 

This week started with a meeting with members from the Montgomery County Redevelopment Corporation as the next step in finalizing the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant we received from the Commonwealth. It’s a long, bureaucratic process, but clearly well-worth the effort!  As many of you realize, we would not have been successful in our efforts to obtain the grant if it wasn’t for the great support we get from our local legislators. To that end, on Wednesday, it was an honor to have State Senator Art Haywood visit our campus to present our Physician Assistant program with a symbolic $500,000 check. The funding will help renovate two, 50-seat traditional lecture style classrooms and construct a standardized patient assessment simulation lab. Read more at salus.edu/RACP-grant 

Speaking of political support for the university and our programs, on Tuesday I spent the day in Harrisburg where I had the opportunity to talk with Speaker of the House Mike Turzai and discuss key issues affecting our students and programs including the cost of education and the ability of our graduates to practice at the level at which you are being taught. He was extremely receptive and has invited me back for a more detailed discussion about these issues.  I’m looking forward to that!  I also had the opportunity to meet with key staffers from the House Appropriations Committee to discuss how they might be able to reinstate funding from the Commonwealth that could help to offset tuition for PA residents and the cost of unreimbursed care we provide to many of our patients.  As we get gain momentum on this, I’m going to ask all of you to engage in a letter writing campaign to your respective representatives to help move this forward.

Tuesday was a long day because after my day at the Capital, we hosted a Centennial Tour event in Harrisburg that was attended by several alumni as well as one of our Salus Board members. These events have been a great way to reconnect with alumni and allows us to inform them about all the great things that have been going on around campus.  Our next Centennial Tour event will be in Washington, DC next Tuesday at Boqueria - Penn Center, from 6PM - 8PM.  To register,just click HERE.

Next week, the Physician Assistant (PA) Class of 2019 will showcase their capstone presentation from Monday, September 23 to Friday, September 27. The presentations cover a variety of timely healthcare issues and are open to Salus University students, faculty and staff, as well as the local community at large. I encourage you to look at the attached schedule and attend some presentations that interest you!

On Saturday, The Eye Institute, the Pennsylvania Ear Institute and the Speech-Language Institute will be working together at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine at their annual Wellness Fest. The event will include children’s activities, fitness classes, cooking demonstrations, live entertainment, guest speakers, relaxation activities, food trucks, and more. Stop by the Salus table anytime between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m!

On Monday, we’ll be hosting our quarterly Board of Trustees meeting here on campus.  That’s always a busy day, but it provides us with a great forum for the exchange of ideas and to let our volunteer board members know all the great things happening at the university. 

I will be spending most of next week in Washington DC, participating in a couple of important events.  The first is a round-table discussion on higher education hosted by Senator Bob Casey.  I plan on asking the Senator to continue his advocacy on student finance reform, and specifically to address the high rates of these loans, as compared to current consumer loans and the perverse way the federal government’s student loan process allows the interest of those loans to accrue from the day promissory notes are signed, as opposed to allowing accrual of interest to be deferred until graduation.  I’m certain I won’t be the only one bringing these issues to the table.

The next event is at the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.  I have been appointed by the Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs to serve as a member of the Special Medical Advisory Group (SMAG), which will also be meeting in Washington next week.  The SMAG is a relatively small group that provides advice to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Under Secretary for Health on matters relating to the care and treatment of veterans and other matters pertinent to the operations of the Veterans Health Administration.   I look forward to serving on this important advisory group.  

Finally, after the SMAG meeting, literally, Tanis and I will be headed to the airport for our flight to Germany.  I have one more 10-mile training run this weekend before next Sunday's Berlin marathon.  While I’m not expecting a record-breaking time (or anywhere close), my goal at this point is to finish!  So, as you get ready to take on the weekend, hopefully I’ve inspired you to get some exercise, enjoy the nice warm (maybe even hot) weather we have and have some fun.  Be safe, drink lots of water and use plenty of sunscreen and look out for one another.

Mike

Centennial Tour in North Carolina: Week of September 13th

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

Good morning. It’s been another very busy week at the University. Classes are in full swing, as I know folks are getting ready for their first sets of exams and practicals.  While all this has been happening on campus, Drs. Eckert, Trego and I, along with Jacquie Patterson, our interim VP for Institutional advancement, have been hosting Centennial Tour receptions in Greensboro and Raleigh, North Carolina.  We really enjoyed connecting with alumni from those areas and really appreciate the effort our alumni have made to get to these events.  What a great opportunity to bring people up to speed on the great things going on here on campus!

Our Centennial Tour continues and I look forward to next week’s event in Harrisburg. Visit salus.edu/centennial-tour for more information or to register.  

Every year, early September marks the beginning of our University’s school hearing and vision screening programs. From now until June, our students, clinical staff and faculty will be going out to various schools across the School District of Philadelphia in order to provide screening services to children. During the 2018-2019 academic year, our teams were able to provide vision screenings to over 4,200 children and hearing screenings to over 3,500 total students. This is an incredible feat and your efforts don’t go unnoticed! We are proud of all of you and all that you give back to the community. We wish you all the best of luck in the new academic year.

We couldn’t do any of the above, if it wasn’t for the funds we’re able to raise through our Looking Out for Kids (LOFK) charity. I’m excited to announce that Rosemary Connors, Emmy award-winning anchor and reporter from NBC10, will be joining us again to host the University’s annual LOFK charity fundraiser event. This year’s event will be held on November 2 at the Hilton in Philadelphia on City Avenue. For more information, please visit salus.edu/lofk

As you might recall, last month, 21 students from our Students in Optometry Service to Humanity (SOSH) program, led by Laine Higa, OD, went on a week-long mission trip to Panama to bring medical eye care to those in need. To read more about their trip and hear from our students themselves, visit salus.edu/panama2019 

Fall is one of our busiest seasons for community events! Check out Salus’ upcoming events at salus.edu/sept-oct-events for more information about where our faculty, staff and students will be representing Salus.   

Finally, it looks like it might be a nice weekend, so I encourage you all to get out and enjoy the weather.  I, for one will be starting my marathon taper with a 13-mile run (which seems short after last weekend’s grueling 18.1 mile jaunt).  Be safe and look out for one-another!

Mike

Salus Scoop: Week of September 6th

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

Good morning! We’ve been spared the wrath Hurricane Dorian in Elkins Park, but many of our colleagues down south and in the Bahamas were not as lucky. I ask that we keep all those affected by the storm in our thoughts and prayers.

It’s been another busy week on campus between students getting into their routines, conducting an orientation program for a prospective Board of Trustee member, hosting a State Representative and of course, preparing for the SALUS SCOOP.

On Wednesday, we had the pleasure of providing a Salus Board orientation program to prospective Board of Trustee member Joyce Koh. Ms. Koh brings a vast knowledge of corporate, business and finance law to our Board. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Beasley School of Law at Temple University. We look forward to seeing her at the upcoming September board meeting and officially welcoming her in January. 

Yesterday I had the pleasure of hosting State Representative Matt Bradford, who is the Democratic Chairman of the State House Appropriations Committee. We discussed our work in the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Norristown, which is in his district,  our plans to integrate tele-health initiatives in FQHC’s in the city and elsewhere, how we provide free screenings in Philadelphia and Montgomery County public schools and how these initiatives positively impact the Commonwealth, as well as each profession we serve.  Following a tour of our Elkins Park campus, Rep Bradford spent time at The Eye Institute learning about how we have impacted the local community through our direct patient care services, community outreach and charitable care to both Philadelphia and Montgomery County residents.  These visits are so very important as we hope to gain support for scope of practice legislation and potential financial support from the Commonwealth. Keeping fingers crossed on both accounts!

I’d like to thank Anne Lotz, past President of the Kiwanis Club, for recently presenting Dr. Brandy Scombordi with a generous donation of $1,000 for the University’s Looking Out for Kids (LOFK) charity. The money was raised as a part of the Jenkintown Sunset 5K Run that was held in early June. Thank you to the Kiwanis Club and everyone else who helps to make LOFK possible!  For more information about Looking Out For Kids, please visit salus.edu/LOFK. 

As always, our Salus faculty, staff and students are keeping busy with various events throughout the community. Next weekend, Salus will be participating in a Citywide Health Fair at the Heart of Worship Restoration on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., and the Jenkintown Festival of the Arts on Sunday from 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. If you’re in the area, stop by and visit the Salus table.

Speaking of upcoming events, don’t forget about Salus Scoop later today! Stop by the lawn in front of the Hafter Center from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. for food trucks, entertainment, prizes and for the chance to pie a professor!

Just a reminder to all new students – if you haven’t tried to schedule an appointment at either The Eye, Ear or Speech-Language Institutes, please get this done. It’s really important for you to see how your colleagues practice as well as to experience what each type of exam is like.  It won’t be too long before you’re in the clinic and come across a patient needing services other than those you’re providing in your particular specialty, but may benefit from those offered by your colleagues and classmates in our other clinics.  Think inter-professionally and interdisciplinary – because that’s the way you’ll practice when you leave here.

Well, tomorrow is my last scheduled “long run” (17 -miles) before I begin the big taper for the Berlin Marathon on 29 September.  I will be so happy when this is done!  I don’t suggest anyone tries this craziness, but the weekend will be nice, so I do encourage you all to get out and enjoy the good weather. Be safe, have some fun and come back energized to hit the books or whatever you do on Monday!   

Mike

Labor Day Weekend: Week of August 30th

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

Good morning from a sunny and pleasant Elkins Park (I really like being a weather person). It’s been a fantastic week at Salus.  All of new and returning students are back on campus, so the parking lot is full and you can feel the positive energy as soon as you walk through the doors. 

We received more good news concerning accreditation this week, as the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) informed us that our OT program received a 7-year accreditation based on their recent site visit. Kudos to Dr. Lauren Sponseller and her OT faculty and staff for getting this done!

We talk a lot about patient-centric care at Salus and the difference we make in people’s lives. This week, I’d like to share a story in connection with the William Feinbloom Vision Rehabilitation Center at The Eye Institute (and yes, we have permission to talk about it). Heather Napolitano began losing her vision seven years ago due to a retinal disorder.  Because she was having such difficultly seeing things with standard glasses, her physician recommended that she visit Dr. Erin Kenny, chief of the Feinbloom Center. Dr. Kenny was able to fit Heather with specialty sunglasses and a hand-held telescope that made it possible for her to watch her daughter dance on stage at her recital.  Shocked that it took seven years for her to hear about Feinbloom’s services for low vision patients, Heather decided to become an real advocate for the Center.  In 2015, Heather and her husband co-founded a fundraiser called “SeeShore Fest”, held annually at the Starboard Restaurant in Dewey Beach, Del. The event previously raised money for the Foundation Fighting Blindness and this year she included the Feinbloom Center as a beneficiary. SeeShore Fest 2019 was held this past weekend and raised $14,557 for the Foundation Fighting Blindness and The Eye Institute. We’d like to thank Heather for being an advocate for Feinbloom and thank Dr. Kenny for going the extra mile for all of her patients. Read more at salusuhealth.com/seeshore-fest.

Time for some fun on campus - Come out and attend Salus Scoop next Friday! There will be food trucks, games and prizes. The event will be hosted in front of the Hafter Center from 1-3 p.m. 

Speaking of fun, the second stop on our Centennial Tour was this Tuesday in Cherry Hill, NJ. It was great seeing some of our NJ alumni and friends. Next stop, New Haven, Connecticut on Thursday, 5 September! Remember to visit salus.edu/centennial-tour to check out the schedule and see if we’re coming to a town near you!

I’d like to thank all of our volunteers who attended State Representative Steve McCarter’s Senior Fair at Keneseth Israel yesterday. When Dr. Eckert and I walked over to see how things were going, the parking lot was full and the room was packed!  Lots of interest in our audiology, SLP and optometry services.  It’s so important to attend community events like this and give back to our community. If you ever have questions about participating or volunteering for various community events, email communications@salus.edu. 

Finally, as we approach Labor Day weekend, I always like to remind people why we celebrate this holiday, which celebrates the greatest workers in the world – American workers.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.  By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday.  So, there you have it.  This is why we have this coming Monday off.  I hope everyone enjoys their 3-day weekend and especially, Labor Day. 

Be safe, have some fun, if you drink, please do it responsibly and don’t drive and use plenty of sunscreen.  Also, please keep our friends and colleagues who are might be in the path of Hurricane Dorian in your thoughts and prayers.  Have a great weekend!

Mike