Dear Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
Good morning from a rainy, rather warm Elkins Park campus. This weather reminds me more of late March than early February! It’s been another busy week on campus with more classes being held in-person with COVID numbers in the local area coming down. It’s great to see our campus community coming back! Our overall positivity rate remains low (0.4%) with random screenings showing 1.5% (1 positive) positivity rate this last week.
Here are other items of interest:
O&P LAUNCH PROGRESS: As work behind the scenes to launch our new Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program continues, program director J. Chad Duncan, PhD, CRC, CPO, talks about what prospective students can expect when the program launches this fall. Read an interview with Dr. Duncan here.
CAREER OPPORTUNTY: The career path of Chrystyna Colón, ‘23OT, has taken another step forward as she was recently accepted by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) into its Summer Institute of Future Scientists in Occupational Therapy, scheduled in April 2022. Read more about Chrystyna’s opportunity here.
ACCELERATED SCHOLARS: Before the first Doctor of Optometry Accelerated Scholars Program cohort began in July 2014, a small pilot group of traditional program students were given the opportunity to accelerate their clinical skills and enter The Eye Institute. That was seven years ago and since then, the program has progressed. Read more here.
SLP OPEN HOUSE: Open houses help prospective students get a sense of what a program is actually like. What better way to learn about a Salus University program than firsthand from one of its current students? Read more about the Speech-Language Pathology program’s recent virtual open house here.
FINAL THOUGHTS: As many of you know, Black History month began Tuesday. In an email that went out earlier this week, Dr. Mosley-Williams eloquently described her experiences with this when she was younger but also pointed out the many accomplishments Black Americans have made over the years. She also noted the great disparities that still exist in our country and right in our own back yard in access to quality health care. The pandemic has exposed significant differences in the outcomes Black, Latino/a/x, and Indigenous people have experienced. People of color make up just under 40 percent of the U.S. population but account for approximately 52 percent of all the “excess deaths” above normal through July of 2020.* These data reveal gross inequities in healthcare that need to be aggressively addressed. As healthcare providers and as a university community, we have an obligation to recognize the issue, explore the root causes and do everything in our power to help mitigate these inequities. This is tough stuff and won’t be easy nor will it occur quickly. But until organizations such as ours actively and holistically challenge the status quo, nothing will happen. The first step is acknowledging the issue. The next steps require a commitment to address social injustice and health inequities actively and consistently. I know our Salus community is up to that task.
As you prepare for the weekend, please keep in mind that the temperatures are forecast to plummet potentially creating icy roads and walkways. Please continue to wear your facemasks when out and about around others, social distance and wash your hands frequently. Be safe, look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG!
Mike
*Flagg, A., Sharma, D., Fenn, L. and Stobbe, M. (2020). Covid-19’s Toll on People of Color is Worse Than We Knew. The Marshall Project, Analysis: 8.21.2020. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/08/21/covid-19-s-toll-on-people-of-color-is-worse-than-we-knew
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