Operation Tomodachi: Week of March 30th, 2020

All,

This marks the beginning of our third week of online education as the global pandemic continues to challenge healthcare systems around the world and closer to home. Most estimates suggest that the “peak” of the curve won’t be hit for two to three weeks in New York City. Much depends upon people sheltering in place and understanding that everyone is a potential carrier. Unfortunately, I’m not certain everyone has come to that realization yet. We haven’t seen the great number of cases New York has seen and I hope it doesn’t happen here but I do suspect we will see a significant increase in the number of cases around our region in the next week or two. That said, I’m encouraged by the fact that our state and local governments have been proactive and have enacted stay in place mandates earlier than most. As we live through this, people have been asking me if it reminds me of my experience with Operation Tomodachi, when I was assigned as the Command Surgeon to the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) in Hawaii, which prompts me to tell you another “sea story” to help put what we’re living through now into some perspective. At least I hope so. 

The story begins with me planning for months to surprise Tanis for her birthday and take her to Kauai, known as the “garden island” in Hawaii, for a long weekend. After months of planning, the night before we were supposed to leave, I received a phone call from my office that there was a 9.0 earthquake in Japan and they were waiting to see what the damage reports were. I was assured by my staff that Japan had a wonderful response system and they likely wouldn’t need any assistance from us and I should proceed with my plans to head out in the morning. I admit I was still focused on the trip, so I proceeded with my plan to surprise my wife. That morning, at the airport, tsunami sirens went off in Honolulu and flights were postponed for an hour or so. I didn’t get any phone calls so I assumed (wrongly) there wasn’t much to be concerned about. I’ll fast forward to Kauai, where Tanis and I are sitting down for lunch at a nice beachside restaurant when my phone rings. My staff is now telling me that in addition to the earthquake, Japan was hit with a 15-meter-high tsunami, with more information forthcoming. I told my staff to let me know when they found out more information and to call me if things changed. About 5 minutes later, I got another call informing me that there were reports that a nuclear reactor might have been damaged by the tsunami. At this point, I’m thinking next flight back to Honolulu. Well, it couldn’t have been another 10 minutes when my staff again called, this time to tell me they thought 4 reactors might be damaged with one more significantly than the others. At that point, I called the airline to try to get a flight back only to be told that I had to wait a day or so because all flights were booked. One day later I finally made it back to my office to find that Japanese officials estimated over 16,000 people were killed from the tsunami with tens of thousands missing. Four nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were severely damaged, resulting in three nuclear meltdowns, three hydrogen explosions, and the release of radioactive contamination into the air and surrounding waters. Thus, began Operation Tomodachi, the U.S. mission to support the Japanese in their response to this unprecedented emergency. My initial responsibility was for the health and safety of over 60,000 U.S. service members and their families, Department of Defense employees, contractors and their families stationed in Japan. Several days into the event, all U.S. citizens living in Japan were placed under our healthcare umbrella. Because this never happened before, we had to develop entirely new water safety standards for a nuclear emergency, because the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) never anticipated this would occur. This fell to me and my team. Thankfully, the World Health Organization had standards that could be applied to the situation, which is exactly what we did, after working closely with EPA and my own embedded experts. There was a debate about whether or not we should evacuate personnel form our major bases near Tokyo, which was about 100 miles south of the disaster.  We decided to have a voluntary evacuation, highly recommending that people who were pregnant or families with small children should go. All told, about 4,000 people took advantage of that. We also had to decide whether or not we should provide bottled water to those living on base but ultimately decided against it because it would have created a double standard for those not living on base. Further, the Japanese weren’t doing this either. This decision was based on the fact that our water quality was closely monitored both on and off base and shown to be perfectly safe. Through the entire crisis, those of us who were members of the USPACOM senior staff met with teams of experts from the EPA, Nuclear Regulatory Agency, Naval Reactors (the world’s leading expert in reactor safety), the State Department, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), The Department of Defense and many others on a daily basis to monitor air, soil, water, weather conditions. We were lucky, as the wind kept blowing towards the sea and with it the radioactive plume that was being produced by the melted down reactors. 

One of my key responsibilities was to assure that I was communicating all this information with the myriad medical commands around the Pacific that had responded to this, as they all reported directly to me. It was also important to have the same message go to the general public. To ensure we were aligned with the Department of State, I had multiple meetings with the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Ambassador John Roos, who led the American Mission support efforts for Tomodachi, serving both as an advisor to him and his staff and also to ensure there were no inconsistencies in messaging concerning health safety. 

Every morning at 2 a.m. (8 a.m., Washington DC time) the Command had a briefing with National Command Authority, which I often attended. U.S. Pacific Command Headquarters is located at Camp Smith, on top a rather steep hill just north or Pearl Harbor. I used to ride my bike to work every day since we only had one car at the time. I remember having to attend one of the 2 a.m. briefings and Tanis had taken one of our daughters, who was visiting at the time, camping on the other side of the island. That night, it was windy, rainy and cold and had to ride my bike up that darn hill at 1 a.m. When I got there everyone was surprised at how wide awake I was! 

Throughout the entire emergency I made several trips to Japan to talk with our military members, their families and DoD employees, mostly teachers. My role was to provide them the most up-to-date information so they would feel comfortable knowing we were watching out for their welfare.  Often, I had to tell them not to eat certain types of foods such as lettuce that was locally grown since it tended to absorb more radiation than other types of food and that it was perfectly safe to drink the water and bottled water wasn’t necessary. Everyone thought this was going to go on forever but like most things, over time, things came back to normal.

I know this has been a long story – and I didn’t even cover many of the details involved in this very complex emergency disaster relief effort. The reason I thought I’d bring it up now is because there are parallels to our current situation that are important to realize. This was an unprecedented event, much like what we’re living through now. People were scared, with many wanting to ignore advice from experts and go their own way. There were no scientific algorithms to accurately measure radiation levels of children who might have been exposed. Because of rumors and incorrect information being disseminated by multiple sources, many people thought they might have been exposed to radiation, but were not. We were able to overcome most of these significant events and obstacles by relying on good science, transparent communications and asking people to make some sacrifices, such as sheltering in place. One of my staff members was a radiation health expert and he actually developed a totally new algorithm for measuring radiation exposure to infants and children; a totally new science. Others developed quick ways to analyze water and we all got pretty good at providing information briefs to community meetings, the press and our superiors. 

Much of that same innovation and creativity is occurring today as we confront the COVID-19 pandemic. As I mentioned last week, we have the best scientific minds in the world here in the U.S. Working with other scientists from around the world, this collective group of experts will eventually develop medications and a vaccine to treat and ultimately prevent the disease. The FDA just approved a 15-minute test for the virus and public health experts are effectively advising federal, state and local governments to put restrictions in place that will deny the virus a host. 

Things will get worse before they get better. We know this. We’ll be asked to make sacrifices we don’t want to, but intellectually know they’re the right thing to do to fight the spread of the disease. We will come out of this stronger, smarter and more resilient – that’s a fact. How do I know that? Because I saw it happen in Japan, I’ve seen it happen in small communities that were devastated by storms or other disasters and I will see it now. It’s in your DNA – or you wouldn’t be here training to become a healthcare provider.  

Try to say active and keep exercising Social and Physical Distancing, Washing Your Hands and Staying Put!  

We are Salus Strong and we’ll get through this together. 

Mike

Practicing Social and Physical Distancing (and Frequent Hand Washing): Week of March 27th, 2020

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

This is the second Friday I’m writing this from home. I know that most of you are working from your homes as well. Following Governor Wolf’s mandate, our Elkins Park and clinical facilities remain closed until further notice. Our world-class faculty, IT staff and students have all pivoted to online teaching and learning as well as some labs, where appropriate.

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, we are committed to the continuation of our academic offerings for our students and the continuity of employment for our faculty and staff.  Several students have understandably inquired about tuition and fee reimbursements. As we deliver on our commitments, we don’t believe there is any justification for refunds. While lectures and labs will be delivered in a different format, our academic offerings are continuing without interruption and without compromise of our standards. Students will continue to receive the expected value for their tuition and fees. If, for any reason, a student's course of study is delayed, the university will not charge additional tuition or fees as a result of such a delay. I want our students to realize that as a tuition driven institution, your tuition goes primarily to compensate the faculty that directly delivers your education and to the staff that supports their efforts. Just as Salus is committed to ensuring your education continues, we are similarly committed to making sure that our faculty and staff are compensated during this time so they care for themselves and their families. I cannot tell you how much we appreciate your understanding as we move through this crisis together.

Since announcing that our commencement will be virtual, I have received several emails and surveys that articulate several of our students’ displeasure with the decision. We all are disappointed about this. As I note in this video, this decision was not taken lightly nor without a great deal of thought. We will do everything we can to make the virtual ceremony as memorable and special as we can. Given the likely duration of the pandemic and the logistics involved in planning commencement, we felt it would be irresponsible and unrealistic to plan on a face-to-face ceremony, either on or off campus. I take full responsibility for making this decision. If circumstances change, we will do everything in our power to make a face to face ceremony happen in May. Otherwise, those scheduled to graduate in May certainly have the option of participating in our Fall graduation in October. We’ve been asked about a summer commencement and frankly the logistics of making this happen are just not possible right now. Everything is on the table as conditions change. To put this in perspective, the Summer Olympics, which were scheduled in July, have been postponed until 2021 and all professional sports have been either cancelled or postponed. We’re not making these decisions in a vacuum, but basing them on good science and the projections of public health experts. To do otherwise would be irresponsible.

Let’s switch gears and talk about some of the things we do have some control over and have been happening in response to this emergency. The staff at the Hafter Center has been providing daily online offerings for exercise, which I hope many of you will take advantage of. One of the best de-stressors is exercise and now we can do it in the comfort of our homes, thanks to our Hafter fitness staff. We get daily emails with the links so keep on the lookout for them. If you’re not receiving these emails, let Dr. Caldwell know and he’ll pass that along. Also, members with the PTMinder app can reach out to the trainers on staff via the app or website for help with modifying workouts during this closure. If you are on Instagram, follow our fitness experts at @HafterCenter. 

Our sincere congratulations to Dr. James Caldwell, OD, EdD, on the successful defense of his doctoral thesis. That EdD after his name is brand-spanking new!  So now he’s Dr. Dr. Caldwell. Congratulations Jim! Due to the pandemic, Dr. Caldwell’s graduation has been cancelled, so he’ll be getting his diploma in the mail.

Speaking of congratulations, we were just informed that Kaylin Magosin (OT20) just found out that she was selected to receive the 2020 Alice Jantzen Memorial Scholarship from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation. That’s fantastic news!

As most of you have seen on the news, there’s a significant shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for our hospital workers and first responders.  Special thanks to Rick Echeverria, Head of Facilities, Carlos Rodriguez, Head of Security and members of our PA, Audiology and Research departments for making the extra effort to collect and ultimately help us donate excess gloves, masks and other PPE to the Montgomery County Emergency Operations Center and Einstein Healthcare Network. Thank you to Marie Szolna, Lydia Parks and Jonette Owens for running around your departments and collecting all this stuff!

Finally, as we all live through what I consider to be a generationally defining public health emergency, I can’t help but think how lucky we all are to be part of the Salus family. While we may sometimes have our differences, I am strengthened by the fact that we are united in our commitment to each other, our mission and those we care for. As I’ve said before, we will all get through this. It will be difficult, it will take time, it will often be character building, but we will come out on the other end stronger, smarter and even more convinced we’ve chosen the right professions – those that are dedicated to the care of others. Is there a better way to live a life?

Stay safe, practice social and physical distancing of at least 6 feet, wash your hands often, stay at home and remain Salus Strong! 

Mike

President's Monday Message: March 23rd, 2020

Today marks our second official week of online training and from all accounts, that aspect of this emergency is going well. There are still many unanswered questions concerning many of your clinical rotations, but I know each program is working with both accreditors and clinical sites to see what’s next. We will keep everyone posted as we get new information about this. I cannot thank you all enough for your flexibility and professionalism as we work through all this. Yesterday, Governor Wolf announced that his original mandate of closures up to 27 March has been extended indefinitely. This shouldn’t come as a surprise given the progression of the pandemic. We will all work through this together.

With all this swirling around us, I’ve had the time to reflect on our current situation as a nation, as well as some of the things I’ve been reading and seeing on television. After reading an op-ed by Admiral Bill McRaven, who drew parallels to his time as a Navy Seal, I was inspired to look back to my days in the Navy when I was going through the primary flight training portion of my aerospace optometry program.

For any Naval Aviator to complete flight training, they have to first complete about 3 weeks of water and land survival courses. The water survival includes jumping off a 12-foot-high tower into a 12-foot-deep pool and then having to swim under water for 25 meters and touch a wall, swimming a mile in full flight gear, successful egress from the infamous Dilbert Dunker, of “An Officer and Gentleman” fame (for those of you old enough to have seen it), and then successful egress from a helicopter crash simulator both with and without blindfolds on. If you survived that, then you were brought out to Pensacola Bay, where you parasailed until the instructor told you to release the lines and you floated towards the cold water (I did it in February) while at the same time, going through all the procedures to release your parachute and inflate your life vest prior to hitting the water. I didn’t think I’d ever get through all that. It took me about 5 attempts to successfully touch the wall underwater, but eventually I did it and the Dilbert Dunker was terrifying to watch, but not too awful once actually doing it. Once that was all over, it was off to land survival training where we were literally left in the middle of nowhere with no food or shelter and told to survive for 3 days. Throughout all of this we remained in the same group. In the beginning, it seemed like we’d never get through it but eventually, it was over and we survived. We got our leather Naval aviator jackets (the prize at the end) and our Wings of Gold. When I was selected for the program, it never occurred to me that the Navy would continually try to drown me (at least that’s how I felt) and then be left out in the middle of nowhere to survive. What got me through this was teamwork, trust in my instructors and knowing that the Navy wouldn’t be doing this to us unless it was necessary to save our lives in the eventuality we needed to fall back on all this training.

So, the coronavirus has thrown every one of us into the water and is trying to drown us. We’re all scared, we’re cold, wet, hungry and the end seems a long way off – if at all! While it’s important to understand how serious the coronavirus is, it’s also important to realize that this too will end. Our feelings of fear and possibly, despondency that accompany the pandemic, should not paralyze us as a nation or even as an institution. There are many reasons to be hopeful and optimistic.

We have the world’s best researchers and research infrastructure. Our academic and federal medical institutions are aligned and are working overtime on potential treatment options and eventually we’ll have a vaccine. Today, our dedicated medical teams are working overtime to save lives and make a difference. I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal a friend had recommended entitled, “Make America the Medicine Chest of the World” by Arthur Herman. Drawing a parallel between what we’re experiencing now and World War II, Herman quoted Lt. General William Knudsen, a former CEO of General Motors, who said “We won because we smothered the enemy in an avalanche of production, the like of which he had never seen, nor dreamed possible”. I am hopeful the same will happen as we tackle this pandemic. Our pharmaceutical industry, along with other industries, will mobilize to confront this emergency. As I noted in last week’s message to you, as Americans, we have always been able to come together in a crisis, and this time will be no different.  

So, yes, we’ve been thrown in the water and left out in the wilderness to starve. Now it’s time to work together, show compassion, and trust one another to get through this.  Things will get worse before they get better, but it will get better.

Social distancing, hand washing and protecting those around us is essential.

We are Salus Strong – we will get through this together! Remember to check our website here for the most up-to-date information.

Mike

Coronavirus Precautions: Week of March 20th, 2020

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

Today, I write this from home, where it’s pretty dreary outside and it’s been a week since we moved Salus online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. First and foremost, I want to convey our sincerest wishes of good health and safety for you and your families during this unsettled time.  While we find ourselves as a university community experiencing something we’ve never dealt with before, we know that our alumni, students, and families will meet this challenge responsibly, bravely and with determination. We are Salus Strong!

As you all know, we’ve pivoted to online training in all of our programs and our Salus-based clinics are closed due to the emergency. Depending upon your particular program and external clinical site, several of you are still working at those sites, while others have been instructed not to. We are working closely with accrediting bodies, as well as your external education coordinators to develop a mitigation plan that enables you to compete your clinical requirements as soon as practical and, hopefully, to avoid any graduation delays.

As you also know, we’ve made the very difficult decision to have the May graduation ceremony done virtually. I know how disappointed you are, as I am, but it was the only responsible thing we could do. Dr. Caldwell and his staff are looking at other models and working hard to make this as meaningful and special as possible. As I noted in my email that went out earlier this week, students will have the option of walking during our commencement ceremony in October. 

As you all realize by now, this is a very fluid situation, with new information and new guidelines becoming available almost daily. Just yesterday, the CDC provided additional guidance for healthcare providers to include: 

o   Delaying all elective ambulatory provider visits

o   Rescheduling of elective and non-emergent admissions to hospitals

o   Delaying inpatient and outpatient elective surgical and procedural cases

o   Postponing routine dental and eyecare visits

According to an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the virus can live up to 72 hours on flat surfaces. It lives longest on plastic and steel and does poorly on copper. The virus can live up to 24 hours on cardboard, which suggests packages that arrive in the mail could have low levels of the virus. When the virus becomes suspended in droplets smaller than 5 micrometers — known as aerosols — it can stay suspended for about 3 hours with a half-life of about ½ hour, researchers said, before drifting down and settling on surfaces where it can linger for hours or days. All this information tells us how important it is to comply with the current CDC guidelines for social distancing, wiping down surfaces and regularly washing our hands. I suggest that you get into the habit of wiping down packages, your mail and things from the grocery store with a mild bleach solution, to be safe.

I recently received a link to a very informative video done by a friend and colleague, Dr. Harvey Rubin. Dr. Rubin is an infectious disease specialist at Penn who has also been a previous commencement speaker at Salus. I really liked his comparison to today’s emergency with that of the Spanish Flu of 1918 and how this is so very different in many respects. The only new information that has come out since he recorded this is the possibility that water droplets that can carry the virus can remain airborne for longer than originally thought. With his permission, I have shared a link to his talk here.

If you already haven’t come to the realization that this emergency will go on for a period of months, rather than weeks, you need to change the way you’re thinking about it.  Experts tell us we haven’t yet seen the peak in the United States. What’s happened in China and is currently playing out in Italy, Spain and other parts of Europe provides us a template for what can happen here. So, please take this seriously, practice the precautions that have been prescribed and be the conduit for accurate information for your friends and family. 

Even though you’re practicing social distancing and doing all the other preventive measures, doesn’t mean you have to sit in your living room and watch TV all day. I strongly encourage you to get outside and get some exercise, whether it be walking, running, working out in small (less than 10) groups where you can have at least 10 feet between you, or riding your bike on a path or around the neighborhood. This is probably one of the best things you can do to help relieve stress and anxiety caused by all of this. For those of you who would like to speak with one of our counselors, you can schedule an appointment to virtually meet with them here.

I know this is unnerving and very frightening to many of you.  While, at least right now, the end of this may not be in sight, I assure you, we’ll get through this. Keep the emails coming and remember that the most up-to-date information about all of this can be found on our website here!

I’d like to leave you with one final thought that I gleaned from an article I recently read in the Chronicle of Higher Education. The author spoke with his rabbi who suggested that while we must practice “physical distancing,” between others, it also important to maintain “social solidarity,” by making extra efforts to support people around us. That means checking up on your classmates, family members or if you have someone in your neighborhood who is in the “high-risk group” who cannot get out to get groceries, etc. It’s important to remember, as we make a conscious effort to continue to stay healthy and safe, we are all in this together.  You all are in my thoughts and prayers as we work through this as a Salus community. Let’s all Stay Salus Strong!

Mike

First Week of Online Training: Week of March 16th, 2020

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

Since this is our first official day of online training I wanted to touch base with all of you. Even before the original announcement was made last week, our faculty and staff have been preparing for such a shift in operations. Some programs have had a great deal of experience doing this while others have had to get up to speed quickly. I want to take this opportunity to thank our faculty and staff for stepping up to accommodate our students during this public health emergency. 

Over the weekend, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with several other college and university presidents, healthcare leaders, government officials, and have done additional research on my own. We are all in lock-step agreement that the best way to “flatten the curve” and slow down the spread of the disease is through “social distancing”. While there appears to be some variability in the media in how that’s defined, the CDC recommends maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from others when you are together. Just remember, the virus, which is transmitted through respiratory droplets and personal touch, is always looking for a new home and our goal is to assure that it doesn’t’ find one! For you public health junkies, the presidential declaration of today’s national emergency is authorized under The Stafford Act of 1988, which stems from the Disaster Relief Act of 1974. It’s designed to put systems in place that facilitate intergovernmental coordination in the event of a natural disaster or public health emergency, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The Act provides federal funds and other authorities that allow state and local officials to deal with emergencies. 

Historically, there have been several times where Americans have had to make interim sacrifices for long periods of time, such as during World War II and following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, but we do find a way to get through these. This pandemic will be no different. Many very bright people are working on both a vaccine and potential drugs to treat this virus. Even so, it’s going to be a while before they are vetted through the appropriate quality and safety processes. Once that’s completed, they still will need to be manufactured in bulk. This all will all take some time. In the meantime, we need to remain vigilant to curb the spread of the disease. 

I want to assure you that we are continuing to work on contingency plans for graduation. The CDC’s most recent guideline that recommends for the next eight weeks in-person gatherings of more than 50 people be cancelled or postponed, pretty much precludes us from holding a large commencement ceremony in May.

As we move through all this, I ask you to remain flexible and observant. Your safety, health and overall welfare is paramount to all of us at Salus. Take some time to check up on each other to ensure your classmates and colleagues are doing well. As we get new information (and things will change frequently, I suspect) we will pass it along via email our website and social media platforms. 

The majority of you have made the determination to become healthcare professionals. Your friends, families and acquaintances will be looking to you for advice and information. Please continue to remain calm, routinely check the Salus and CDC websites for the most current information and guidance and stay focused on your studies. We’ll get through this together. If anyone needs to talk with any of our counselors, they are available virtually. Contact information can be obtained here. 

Remember, we’re SALUS STRONG – there is no other group I’d rather be associated with as we navigate these uncharted waters. We will get through this together!

MHM

COVID-19 and Social Distancing: Week of March 13th, 2020

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

Good morning from a very quiet campus on a rainy Friday morning. I’d like to take the opportunity to reiterate some of the information that we sent out over the last few days and also thank all of you for stepping up and doing what’s necessary in order to maintain our educational mission and responsibilities to our students and also following the public health guidance by staying close to home. With the exception of those students on their external clinical rotation assignments such as externships or clerkships, we prefer you don’t leave the local area.

As we mentioned yesterday, Governor Wolf made it clear we will remain closed from today through Sunday 29 March, hopefully enabling us to partially open the campus on Monday, 30 March. If we’re able to do so at that time, it’s our intent to continue with online instruction and, conditions permitting, open the Learning Resource Center and provide access to clinical labs. Since this is such a fluid situation we’ll have to wait and see what happens at that time. As I’m sure you all understand, this is not an exact science so it’s difficult to predict when this will all end. I don’t expect things to go back to “fully normal” until authorities are confident the COVID-19 virus spread is well under control, not just locally, but regionally and nationally. 

As we work through this public health emergency, I’d like you all to remember that as healthcare professionals people will be looking to you for information and also to set an example of how we should be responding. As I noted in my video yesterday, there’s no need to panic. If everyone acts responsibly, follows instructions, and keeps a level head, everyone will be fine. As a reminder, it’s the simple things that will help keep everyone safe, to include:

• Hand washing for at least 20 seconds
• Maintaining social distancing of at least 6 feet from one another
• Avoiding large groups
• Cover your coughs
• Stay home if you’re feeling sick

Finally, several folks have asked me about graduation and related events. While nothing has been cancelled yet, we’re working on contingency plans for a web-casted audience free ceremony to ensure that we can make this time as special as possible for our graduating students and their families.  We will share information with you as soon as possible.

We realize all this is a significant transition from normal for everyone, and understand that it may be difficult, as well as raise many questions. It’s our commitment to the entire Salus community to work diligently over the course of this emergency to ensure you have access to the most up-to-date information and to keep our lines of communication open, as they always have been. Our website is being updated as new information becomes available. You can access that here.

I have full faith in the resiliency of our students and the commitment of our faculty and staff as we all work through this together. We are Salus Strong – and that makes me proud! 

Be safe, look out for one another and don’t be afraid to touch base if you have any questions.

Mike

Greetings from Atlanta: Week of March 6th, 2020

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

Greetings from Atlanta, where it’s been raining since Monday and I have ordered wood from Home Depot to begin building an ark! I saw a peek of the sun before sunset last night which was very encouraging! Hopefully, today will be much nicer. Many of us are here for the annual meeting of the Southern Educational Congress of Optometry (SECO), which has been a great meeting, so far! Several of our faculty are lecturing which, of course, raises the quality of the meeting logarithmically! Before you ask, we’re all routinely washing our hands, using hand sanitizer and not getting too close to one another. 

Last Saturday I was honored to commission one of our students, Payton Burke ’21AUD, into the Army in a special ceremony that was attended by her family, friends, classmates and administrators. Payton has been a fantastic student leader and the Army is getting a real winner. I think any of the Services offer our students a very unique opportunity not only to serve our country, but also to really learn how to practice their professions. I encourage as many as are interested to look at this as an option. It’s a great way to serve and learn.

Many of you have heard that Salus has partnered with National Vision to advance optometric education by developing a pilot program focused on training students on conducting remote eye exams utilizing high-tech equipment and real-time secure HD video conferencing. The technology enables optometrists to see patients remotely in locations that do not have a doctor or when the doctor is not available. What makes this relatively easy is that we’re leveraging a very robust system that has been in use for a while up and down the east coast. While we realize that this may be considered somewhat controversial by some, we feel strongly that we have the responsibility to expose our students to the most up-to-date practice models available and telemedicine is already making inroads across many locations across the country. Just think how this technology can be leveraged for populations in the inner cities or rural areas that don’t have routine access to high quality eye care.  Our goal is to ultimately place some of these remote-care modules in Federally Qualified Health Centers and even busy rural practices across Pennsylvania. 

We will be hosting our annual Scholarship Reception from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at the Hafter Student Community Center. Please join us as we recognize the generosity of our scholarship donors and celebrate the achievements of the recipients.  

Please mark your calendars to attend the Salus University Leadership Forum from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, April 3, in Room S305A on the Elkins Park campus. The event will feature a panel of Pennsylvania legislators and members of the Salus Community. The program will include a question and answer format on several topics, including leadership skills; mentorship experiences; career path choices; gender-specific challenges; achieving goals; and community service and support.  For more information and to register please go to our website here. 

If you’re attending the Southern Educational Congress of Optometry (SECO) meeting this week, please join us for our Alumni and Friends reception from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. today, March 6, at the Omni Atlanta Hotel, Ballroom 1. 

This week’s Mental Health Minute discusses how to handle the stress surrounding the proliferation of the COVID-19 virus. The linked article, “How to Manage Your Anxiety about Coronavirus”, was sent to me by one of our faculty members who was helping her son complete a current events assignment for school. I thought it should be shared with everyone. 

As we continue to monitor the COVID-19 virus, up-to-date guidance will be maintained on our website here. As a reminder, please continue to: 

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing. Then wash your hands immediately.
• Routinely wash your hands with soap and water often for at least 20 seconds. You can use an alcohol-based (60% or greater) hand sanitizer if you cannot access soap and water, but you need to use copious amounts and still rub your hands for 20 seconds.
• Stay home if you’re sick and do not travel so you do not spread germs to coworkers, patients or others.
• Take flu antivirals, if prescribed by your doctor. 

I hope you all have a great weekend. Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour Saturday night as we begin Daylight Savings Time this weekend! Stay safe, try to check our website or the local news periodically for any updates on COVID-19 and look out for one another.

Mike