Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
Greetings from a muggy Horsham, PA!
Today I wanted to bring everyone up-to-date on our plans as Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties prepare to enter the Yellow Phase of the Process to Reopen Pennsylvania, on June 5th.
On Monday, June 8th, we’re planning to reopen our Elkins Park campus on a limited basis and expand our clinical operations beyond emergency services.
During this phase, faculty and staff that can perform the essential functions of their jobs from home are encouraged to do so. We need to continue to minimize the number of people on campus. To that end, only those whose essential functions require them to be on site will return to campus and our clinical facilities. For our faculty and staff, your supervisor will be in touch with you to discuss if you are expected to return to our facilities. If due to health reasons, you are concerned about returning to campus or our clinical facilities, your supervisor and Human Resources will work with you to determine if an accommodation can be made or if a leave of absence (sick days, vacation, FMLA) is appropriate.
For our students, each program has developed plans for limited on-site laboratory and clinical instruction which they will share with you. As we’ve previously discussed, your didactic classes will remain online for the balance of the summer semester.
As we continue to all work through this, the health and safety of the entire Salus community, remains our utmost concern. We have adopted multiple operating protocols in accordance with CDC and state guidelines. When you do come to campus, you will notice significant changes to our facilities. Everyone will be subject to a daily screening including a temperature check. While in common areas or working with others, you will be required to wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth. This includes the parking lots. If you do not have your own mask, we will provide you with one. Clinical providers will be provided with PPE for patient care. Our hallways are marked for one-way traffic, as are our stairways. Conference rooms and elevators have reduced capacities. And, of course, we have enhanced cleaning and disinfecting procedures.
Our protocols are designed to reduce the risk of exposure, but due to the contagious nature of COVID-19 we cannot eliminate all risk of infection. Everyone must also do their part by practicing physical distancing of at least 6 feet, frequently washing your hands, not touching your nose, mouth or eyes, and most importantly staying home if you are sick.
We appreciate all you have done by working remotely to keep Salus moving forward. As we enter the Yellow Phase, we are excited, but remain cautious about resuming added physical operations. Additional information, including our protocols and procedures can be found on our updated COVID-19 webpage. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Chief of Staff, Brian Zuckerman, who I have appointed as our Pandemic Safety Officer.
In addition to working to reopen our campus, lots of other good things have also been going on virtually.
First, I want to congratulate, once again our graduates and thanks to all of those who made our first-ever virtual commencement the best it could be. Here are two stories from that day: the first on the ceremony itself, the preparation that went into to, and some reaction from the graduates; and another on the honorary degree presented to Dr. Anthony Di Stefano, whose reflections on legacy, public health and political action and his plea for everyone to remember to vote resonated with everyone.
Wrapping up Better Speech and Hearing Month in May, here are more Faculty Focus feature stories on three of our great clinical educators at the Speech-Language Institute: Laura Evak; Jackie Pittam; and Joanne Vesay.
Congratulations to Alta Fried, MSOT ’14, who was named the 2020 Occupational Therapy Alumna of the Year by our Alumni Association. You can read more about Alta and her accomplishments at salus.edu/AltaFried.
Don’t forget to sign up for the “Double Down on Double Vision” Continuing Education lecture scheduled from 4 to 5 p.m. Friday, June 5. For more info, visit salus.edu/events.
Finally, as the weather gets nicer, there will be more people out and about. While I strongly encourage you to enjoy the outdoors, please ensure you continue to practice physical distancing and your good hygiene habits of washing your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds. Don’t let down your guard just because it’s nice outside. We’re winning this battle because we’re doing all the right things.
Stay safe, stay healthy, stay SALUS STRONG!
Mike
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