Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
Good morning from a very sunny and nice Elkins Park campus. It’s been an extremely quiet week around campus as we are between semesters. While student and faculty have been getting some much needed rest, other activities have been taking place. Late yesterday, the CDC changed their guidelines regarding the wearing of face masks for fully vaccinated people. I address this in my “Final Thoughts” below.
MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH MONTH: It's Mental Health Month and I can't think of a better time to discuss the hardships our students have faced throughout the course of the pandemic. For more than a year, we've all been handling an added dose of stress from the unrelenting nature of the situation. Click here to read about how Robert O’Brien, MS, ATR, LCP, a counselor in the University’s Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD), and his fellow counselors have continued to help students weather tumultuous times combined with the challenges of graduate school.
MUSLIM STUDENT ASSOCIATION: One of our newest student organizations is the Salam Salus Muslim Student Association and I had the personal opportunity to address students face-to-face again, something I sincerely miss and enjoy. I hope the group's first meeting that was held in-person April 30 was the curtain opener to more on-campus student events as COVID-19 health guidelines begin to loosen and capacity limits increase throughout the state. Read more about our gathering, where we were masked and socially-distanced, here.
SPRING COMMENCEMENT: Speaking of student events, the Class of 2021 will also experience a memorable Commencement. The University's 122nd Commencement will be a hybrid celebration, including both in-person Graduate Recognition Events on Tuesday, May 25 and Wednesday, May 26 as well as a University-wide virtual Commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 27 at 2 p.m. The in-person recognition events are college-based and times vary. You can access the full schedule of events, FAQs and the livestreams at salus.edu/virtualcommencement. Read about our keynote speaker Congresswoman Madeleine Dean and our honorary degree recipient Robert E. Horne, who retired as vice president and dean of Student Affairs at Salus in 2012. Dean Horne will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during virtual Commencement.
ONGOING PODCAST SERIES: Join Robert Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP, the chair and program director of the department of Speech-Language Pathology at Salus, as he speaks with the clinical education director and four current students about their collaboration with the ReMed Brain Injury Group at the University's Speech-Language Institute. Click here to listen.
RESIDENTS DAYS: Looking ahead, Dr. Shital Mani, director of the Off-Campus Residency Program and Dr. Bhawan Minhas, director of the On-Campus Residency Program, will host the sixth annual Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus Residents Days next week on Thursday, May 20. Lectures will cover a wide range of topics including glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmic conditions, anterior segment, posterior segment, low vision, contact lens, peri-operative care, pediatrics, vision therapy and traumatic brain injury. The event will be livestreamed and you can sign up here.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Many of you have likely seen the new CDC guidelines published yesterday that were quickly adopted by Pennsylvania. Based on real-world, scientific studies, the new guidance states that fully vaccinated individuals (14 days after receiving their last dose) can “resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.” This is great news and yet another reason to get your vaccination, if you already haven’t. It also suggests that we have turned a corner on the pandemic.
Accordingly, we are amending the Salus Safety Strategy to follow CDC’s updated guidance and provide that all people on the Elkins Park campus WHO ARE FULLY VACCINATED will no longer be required to wear a facemask or physically distance. Vaccination status will be measured according to the self reporting system. We will rely largely on your personal ethics, but will also conduct spot checks to ensure everyone complies. If anyone not wearing a mask has not self-reported being vaccinated, we will consider this a 1st violation and that person will receive a warning. A 2nd violation will result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal/termination. Face masks and physical distancing will still be required in all of our clinical areas. To view the new CDC guidelines, click here.
It’s also important to note that it is perfectly acceptable for people to wear their facemask, even if they are fully vaccinated. Please do what is within your comfort zone, understanding that for some it will take time to adapt to yet another new normal, which is perfectly okay.
If you are not fully vaccinated, you will still be required to wear a face mask and physically distance on the Elkins Park campus. I encourage you to talk to friends and other trusted information sources that can address any concerns you may have about getting vaccinated so you will feel more comfortable getting that extremely important jab.
This change is what everyone has been hoping for - so please, if you’re not yet vaccinated, take the initiative to get it done.
As you prepare for what looks like a very nice weekend, please continue to wear your face mask indoors if you are not vaccinated, socially distance and wash your hands frequently. Also, as you go out and about, it appears several businesses will still require masks to be worn inside, whether you're fully vaccinated or not. So, please be sure to adhere to local rules.
Be safe, stay smart and remain SALUS STRONG!
Mike
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