Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
All one has to do is open a newspaper or listen to any of the news outlets and you’ll learn that the number of cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in our country. Thankfully, while we’ve seen a small increase in the number of cases in Montgomery County and a slightly larger increase in our state, in general, we are not seeing anything like in Florida, Texas or Arizona. That’s primary because our state and county have been proactive in mandating the use of face masks outdoors when people cannot appropriately social distance and for most indoor activities. What makes this work is that most people are following instructions and doing the right thing.
At Salus, we’ve had protocols in place that mirror those recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Commonwealth. These protocols, designed to keep all of us and those we care for safe, have been effective to date. Today, you’ll notice that we’ve reorganized our COVID-19 website to make it easier to navigate and also comply with the Governor’s mandate for every academic institution to post a Safety Strategy. You’ll also notice that none of the specific guidelines have changed from the previous listed protocols, they are just “packaged” a bit differently. All guidelines for our current Summer Semester operations remain the same as will those for the Fall.
As a reminder, effective 24 August 2020, we are planning to resume the majority of our on-campus operations in accordance with the Salus Safety Strategy. The highlights of this include:
- Didactic classroom instruction (lectures) conducted in alternative formats with individual programs and their students selecting from a variety of modalities including, face-to-face, remote (live and on-demand) and blended offerings.
- Laboratory and clinical instruction conducted face-to-face either on campus, at our clinical facilities or at externship sites.
- Operating our clinics at reduced patient capacities.
- Daily screening and temperature checks upon entrance to our facilities. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to complete the Salus Sign On to expedite screening. The requirement to wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth when at our facilities.
- De-densifying our facilities to allow for physical distancing. Providing personal protective equipment to our students and faculty engaged in laboratory and clinical instruction where physical distancing is not possible.
- Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting procedures.
- Limiting the size of on campus events.
- The suspension of all university-sponsored travel by any means of transportation (please note that this restriction does not include commuting).
You can see the entire Salus Safety Strategy by going to our COVID-19 webpage later today.
I know many of you may be thinking about our upcoming White Coat Ceremony and Fall Commencement. Based on the current status of the pandemic we are going to work hard to honor those incoming students as well as those getting ready to leave our nest by planning an outdoor event, possibly on campus. I’ve asked the staff to work several different scenarios that will allow us to do something in-person, that doesn’t jeopardize anyone’s health and safety. You’ll be hearing more about both of these ceremonies in the weeks to come.
In the meantime, please continue your diligence in wearing a face mask when appropriate (that would be most times when with others who are not in your “bubble”), social distancing, and frequent hand washing. Also, please remember that what you do off campus directly affects the health and safety of all of us on campus, so please be vigilant.
Finally, like you, I am also tired and frustrated by all this – which is normal. We are in the middle of an unprecedented public health crisis. It will end – we just need to be patient, cautious and smart. We are Salus Strong and that, combined with your good sense and following the guidelines, will get us all through this.
Mike
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