We Need to Remain Conscientious: Week of November 30th, 2020

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

I hope everyone had a safe and restful Thanksgiving and stayed close to home during the holiday.

I wanted take the opportunity to welcome those few who are returning to campus and to remind you, especially if you decided to travel and see family and friends who have not been part of your normal “bubble”, to ensure you are taking all the appropriate precautions upon returning to campus. If you traveled outside PA, you should have taken it upon yourself to get tested prior to returning or quarantining if you didn’t get tested. If you don’t feel well, even if you think it’s only a cold, don’t come to campus. If it persists, please check with your primary care manager or use the Jefferson Health link to determine if you need to be tested.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Matt Morett and the Metz Culinary team on campus for providing Thanksgiving meals to almost 75 students who decided to remain locally during the holiday. I know our students really appreciated the effort, especially since they decided not to travel and couldn’t spend the holiday with their families.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, given the unsurpassed spread of the virus, we need everyone to be extremely conscientious about following the guidelines in our Salus Safety Strategy. Wear your face mask over your nose and mouth at all times while on campus and when around others not in your immediate bubbles off campus, wash your hands frequently, continue to socially distance and if you’re not feeling well, stay home.

As you know, we only have a few weeks until Winter Break and we need to ensure we do everything possible to keep our Salus Community healthy and safe as we navigate through this timeframe. While a vaccine is already being pre-staged around the country, most of us will not be the first to receive it. The end to all this is coming, but we have to exercise patience and not let our guard down now. We’re so close and we’ve done so well - let’s not let complacency change that.

Stay safe, stay Salus Strong!

Mike

Thanksgiving Holiday Planning: Week of November 20th, 2020

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

Good morning on a chilly Fall day from Elkins Park. It’s been another busy week around as we work to help keep everyone safe and healthy heading into the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

NEW GALLERY DISPLAY: To help keep spirits up, curator Elynne Rosenfeld has come up with another fabulous art display for the D’Arrigo Family Gallery outside the Bennett Lounge at the Hafter Student Community Center. Works from the recently formed Philadelphia Pastel Society (PSS) can be viewed through Dec. 17, 2020. If you’re on campus, stop by and take a look at the display – you won’t be disappointed! Read more about it here.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: This week’s “Where Are They Now” features Kelly Garcia, MS ‘19, a speech therapist at the Independence Charter School in Philadelphia. To read more about Kelly’s professional journey after graduating from Salus, go here.

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY PLANNING: This is going to be a Thanksgiving holiday unlike most of us have ever experienced. Most years, the holiday is a time to connect with family and friends for good food, fun and fellowship. For some, it may be a difficult time, as we remember those we have lost or that returning home to family may not always be pleasant or welcomed for various reasons. When we think of all we have endured in 2020, and now, seeing increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases nationally and in our own region (see charts below), it may be more difficult to find a reason to be grateful. However, as you approach Thanksgiving, try to make the best of what I know is a stressful and challenging situation and reflect on all we do have to be thankful for – our health, our loved ones, our opportunities to help others and a brighter future ahead.

There will be temptations to see friends and family members you haven’t seen in a while during this short break. I would caution you not to take chances and to resist the temptation to gather, even in small groups.

To that end, consistent with the latest CDC guidance, I want to strongly encourage you not to travel during this holiday, as difficult as that might be. If you do, please ensure that you are taking all the necessary steps to maintain your health and safety as well that of as your family members and your classmates. That means wearing your face mask at home if you’re going to be with people not from your immediate circle (your immediate circle includes family members you live with, roommates and others you have regularly spent time with), social distancing of at least six feet, washing your hands frequently and maintaining maximum airflow in your house by opening windows, doors, etc. 

If you travel outside Pennsylvania, you need to be aware that beginning today, anyone who visits Pennsylvania from another state, including Pennsylvanians returning to the Commonwealth, must get tested within 72 hours prior to entering the Commonwealth. If you are unable or choose not to be tested, you are required to quarantine for 14 days upon returning to PA. The Commonwealth is expecting individuals to police themselves, which means that you would be unable to come to campus and would miss any scheduled face-to-face instruction.

AFTER THANKSGIVING BREAK: Below are enhancements that we are making to the Salus Safety Strategy designed to protect our community over the next two months.

December
Following Thanksgiving weekend, our academic programs have made adjustments to limit on campus instruction through winter break. While our clinics will remain open to serve our patients and clients and certain lab instruction will continue at Elkins Park, student activity on campus will be reduced. Your individual program will be in touch with these details. Please note, that there is an exemption from this restriction from the PA travel restriction for our students traveling in and out of Pennsylvania to “work” at their clinical sites.

Vaccine
You all have heard the good news concerning some of the vaccines currently be developed, which has been shown to be about 95 percent effective against the virus. While this is great news, an effective vaccine is still awaiting FDA approval and it will be several months after that before the vaccine is distributed to the public. Additionally, we will still need to take all the current precautions, such as continuing to wear a face mask for several months after receiving the vaccine to ensure there is no additional spread. While there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it’s imperative that we remain vigilant until we get there - which we will.

Winter Break
The Elkins Park campus and all Salus clinics will be closed from Thursday, December 24th through Sunday, January 3rd. Any essential staff that needs to work during this period will be informed by their supervisors. 

Return to Learn Testing
Following winter break, all students, laboratory educators, clinical educators and clinic staff will be required to be tested for COVID-19 prior to their return to campus or our clinics in January. We are partnering with LabCorp to provide Pixel at-home COVID-19 self-administered PCR tests by mail. Salus will make these tests available, at no cost to you, on or around December 28th via a secure web portal. Individuals will access the portal to order their test (which will be sent by overnight mail), take the test at home and then return the test via pre-paid overnight mail to LabCorp. Test results will be communicated to the individual and Salus 24-48 hours after receipt by LabCorp. A negative test result will be required to access campus or the clinics. Any positive tests will be followed up by medical professionals and Salus. The entire process from start to finish will take between 4 and 6 days, so individuals will need to plan to order the test early enough to allow for their return to scheduled instruction/work. Additional details will follow in the coming weeks.

Please remember that while our protocols are designed to reduce the risk of exposure, the contagious nature of COVID-19 means we cannot eliminate all risk of infection. We have successfully made it this far thanks to your efforts in following protocols and remaining flexible throughout pandemic. I ask that you continue to follow guidelines and act responsibly. You have become more resilient and adaptable as we have moved through these past nine months. Let’s hang in there so we can all sprint across the finish line together in the upcoming months. Please try to get out and enjoy the nice weather that’s predicted for this weekend. As always, please remember to wear your face mask, socially distance and wash your hands frequently. Be safe, remain vigilant and stay SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Presidential Medals and Alumni Awards: Week of November 13th, 2020

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

Good morning! It’s a bit soggy and cool around campus but that hasn’t dulled the spirits of our students, faculty and staff as they’ve continued their didactic, lab and clinical studies. Much is happening on and around campus that I’d like to share this morning: 

PRESIDENTIAL MEDALS AND ALUMNI AWARDS: Tonight we are celebrating the 2020 Presidential Medal of Honor recipients during a virtual event that will premiere at 6 p.m., featuring acceptance remarks from our award winners. Please join in with the link salus.edu/presidentsmedals. In addition, we are recognizing the 2020 Alumni Association Award recipients with an online event at salus.edu/alumni-awards. Our alumni awardees reflected on their memories at Salus and expressed their gratitude for the special recognition. I hope you watch both events and enjoy the shows!

IMPACT OF ELECTION RESULTS: Thanks to Dr. Juliana “Dr. J.” Mosley for setting up our latest Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee Lunch and Learn, this week featuring one of her colleagues, Dr. Jeffrey Carroll, assistant professor of Political Science and the chair of the Center for Data & Society at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia. The timely topic was “2020 Election Results, National Impact and Marginalized Populations,” and provided a spirited discussion about several important topics related to the election. Thanks to Dr. Carroll for his insights. Keep an eye on our website for a story detailing the event.

PA LONG WHITE COATS: Congratulations to the Physician Assistant Class of 2020, which held its Long White Coat virtual ceremony last night, honoring 48 graduates. It was great to see everyone and participate in the ceremony.

SEP COMEBACK: The Summer Enrichment Program (SEP), initially started in 1977 by Robert E. Horne, was offered every summer for 39 years continuously until its hiatus in 2015. Now, thanks to a generous grant from National Vision, America’s Best, the program will be returning under the direction of Ruth Shoge, OD ‘06, Resident ‘07. Read more about the program at salus.edu/SummerEnrichment.

BATTLING THE PANDEMIC: While we’re still taking the proper precautions to battle COVID-19, check out a behind-the-scenes story about how our University team has managed the pandemic to this point, particularly the process that enabled a successful pivot to virtual instruction over the course of a weekend and what steps were taken to get our students, faculty and staff safely back to campus on a limited basis. Read more at salus.edu/PandemicBattle. 

BLVS AND EMPLOYMENT: The Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) at Salus University recently hosted a panel discussion, in partnership with Penn State Abington Rehabilitation and Human Services (RHS) Program, called “Employment and Vocational Rehabilitation of Individuals Who are Visually Impaired” to educate current students and practitioners who are employed or seeking employment. For the first of a three-part Q&A series on our website, go to salus.edu/BLVSemployPart1.

FINAL THOUGHTS: COVID-19 cases have been dramatically increasing across the country to the point where we have surpassed the number of cases seen back in March and April (see graph). Our own region has not been immune from these increases. It’s imperative that we all continue to be remain vigilant when it comes to wearing our masks, socially distancing and practicing good hand hygiene. The CDC announced that there is growing evidence that face masks also protect those who are wearing one, so there’s another good reason to put that face mask on.

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday in a couple of weeks, there will be temptations to see friends and family members you haven’t seen in a while. I would caution you not to take chances and to resist the temptation to gather, even in small groups, given the rise in infections across the region. Most of the current spread has been linked to small family gatherings and sporting events. The last thing you want to do is get infected, infect family members or return to campus after the holidays and spread the virus here. I realize how difficult this is, but we all need to practice good judgement going into the holidays.

Most of you have heard the good news concerning the Pfizer vaccine, which has been shown to be 90% effective against the virus. While this is great news, the vaccine is still awaiting FDA approval and it will be several months after that before the vaccine is distributed to the public. While there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it’s imperative that we remain vigilant until we get there - which we will. In the meantime, if you haven’t already downloaded the COVID Alert PA app to aid in contact tracing efforts, I strongly encourage you to do that. Here’s the link: COVID Alert PA app.

Related to all this, there have been almost 400 flu cases confirmed in the state so far. If you haven’t already gotten your flu vaccine, please try to get that done this weekend. The weekend looks to be a typical Fall weekend, so please get outside to get some fresh air and enjoy what’s left of the Fall leaves. Remember to wear your face mask, socially distance and wash your hands frequently. What you do off campus affects all of us on campus! 

Be safe, be smart, remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Veteran's Day, Election Day and the Marine Corps Birthday: Week of November 6th, 2020

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

Good morning from Elkins Park on a beautiful Fall morning. It’s hard to believe it’s going to be near 70 degrees today, but we’ll take it! It’s been another busy week on campus with our students and faculty working hard together in labs, clinics and virtual and face to face lectures. Here are some of the other things happening around campus and virtually:

Election Results Discussion: Dr. Juliana Mosley and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee will host a Lunch & Learn event at noon Wednesday, Nov. 11, featuring Dr. Jeffrey Carroll, discussing “2020 Election Results, National Impact and Marginalized Populations.” I encourage all of you to participate in this. Remote access will be sent via email prior to the event.

Where Are They Now: Check out our new online feature “Where Are They Now?” which catches up with some of our recent graduates to see how they’re doing in their professional lives. This week features Susan (Barnes) Gresham, OD ‘19, a top Traditional Optometry Program graduate who gave the spring 2019 commencement address. To read more about Dr. Gresham, go here.

Private Practice Symposium: The PCO/Salus Private Practice Symposium 2020 will be held online from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12. Speakers include Janelle Davison, OD ‘06, James Deom, OD ‘14, MPH, FAAO, Kennard Herring, OD ‘14, and Michael Talone, OD ‘98. For more information, click here.

Long White Coat Ceremony: The Physician Assistant (PA) Long White Coat Ceremony will be held online at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12. For updated information, click here.

Presidential Medals Ceremony: The 2020 Presidential Medal of Honor ceremony will be online at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13. Keep an eye on our website for additional details.

Eye Care Tips: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diabetes is the main cause of blindness among people under 74 years of age. However, 90 percent of vision loss from diabetes can be prevented. So, we’ve got some eye care tips for those with diabetes. Read more about that here.

OT Research: A paper titled “Exploring the Role of Occupational Therapy with Mothers Who Breastfeed” by Lauren Sponseller, PhD ‘18, OTD, MSOR/L, MEd, Chair of the Occupational Therapy (OT) Department, has been accepted for publication in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, a top OT research journal. To read more about Dr. Sponseller’s research, go here.

Final Thoughts: Tuesday marks the 245th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Here in Philadelphia, on November 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution establishing the Continental Marines. Since that time, Marines have distinguished themselves defending our freedoms around the world. During my 33-year Navy career I had the privilege of serving with the Marine Corps for almost one-third of that time. Wednesday, we also recognize all of our veterans as we celebrate Veterans Day. World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, has been regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” Originally designated Armistice Day by President Wilson, November 11 commemorates the armistice that began that day. In 1954 Congress changed the name to Veterans Day to recognize all veterans.

While I was on active duty we observed the Navy and Marine Corps birthdays and Veterans Day by participating in cake cutting ceremonies and attending a few veteran’s events. I think this year it is even more important remember how fortunate we are to have men and women who, every day, make sacrifices and place their lives on the line to ensure we enjoy the freedoms we have as Americans. They do this while being held to the highest of standards, professionally, ethically and morally. Core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment have been the moral and ethical compass that have guided the men and women in uniform for 245 years. 

As we exercise patience and wait for our uniquely American democratic process to be completed and learn the results of the election, please don’t lose sight of the fact that the ability to hold elections such as ours was paid for by veterans, many who made the ultimate sacrifice, so we could freely choose our leaders. 

As healthcare professionals we have much in common with those who serve in our armed forces. We too have made a commitment to devote our time and energies to serve others. Most importantly, though, as healthcare professionals we also must be guided by an ethical and moral compass – one that emulates that of our Navy and Marine Corps – that of Honor, Courage and Commitment. 

So, as we celebrate the Marine Corps Birthday on Tuesday and take time to honor our veterans on Wednesday, I hope you reflect on how we can leverage our own commitment to always conduct ourselves with honor and have the courage to always do what’s right for our patients, clients and those around us. I think this is exceptionally true as we watch and wait to see the final results of the election.

Finally, as we approach the weekend, the weather is going to be near perfect. If you decide to participate in any election-related events, I’d like to remind you that whether your candidate wins or loses, you continue to embrace our core values of inclusion, acceptance, diversity, and respect for all people and our differences.

If you decide to participate in an in-person event, also please keep in mind the risks of the pandemic and be sure to socially distance and wear a facemask. Remember, what you do off campus affects all of us on campus.

Have great weekend and try to get out and enjoy the nice weather. Be safe, stay healthy and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike