Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
Good morning on this beautiful, summer day in Elkins Park. I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome all our new and returning students to campus. As I noted during my remarks on Tuesday, for our new students, this week begins your transition from being an undergraduate to becoming a healthcare professional. With that comes increased responsibility to serve others with cultural humility and a commitment to excellence in all you do. We are all extremely excited to advance your professional formation.
Here are some other areas of interest:
WHITE COAT CEREMONY: Today’s White Coat ceremonies (yes, there are three of them!) celebrate your first professional milestone while at Salus, moving from layperson to healthcare professional. I know that our guest speaker, Dr. Bill Roberts, senior vice president of Academic Operations at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) in Bethesda, Maryland will energize and inspire you with his comments. Read more about Dr. Roberts here. Because we are conducting the ceremony indoors, in an academic setting, we will follow Salus masking guidelines remaining masked during the ceremony. These guidelines have served us well throughout the pandemic, and we want to continue to keep everyone healthy and safe. I look forward to seeing many of you at the Hafter Center later today.
MONKEYPOX VIRUS: As you may know, there has been a significant increase in Monkeypox viral cases nationally and in our own region. While we have not seen cases on campus, it is important to remain vigilant, nonetheless. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published guidelines for healthcare professionals and isolation and infection control that I strongly encourage you to become familiar with. The virus is spread through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact, including:
- Direct contact with monkeypox rash, scabs, or body fluids from a person with monkeypox.
- Touching objects, fabrics (clothing, bedding, or towels), and surfaces that have been used by someone with monkeypox.
- Contact with respiratory secretions.
HELPING US HELP CHILDREN: Helping children has always been a key component of the American Heritage Credit Union’s mission. And now, the financial institution is helping Salus University continue its work for children in need. The credit union has donated $25,000 to keep the University’s Big Red Bus (BRB) on the road. Read more here.
CPPD SCHEDULE CHANGES: Please note that the Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) schedule will change Aug. 22 and then again on Aug. 29. These schedule changes are posted on our webpage here. CPPD is returning to in person sessions beginning (partially) the week of Aug. 22 and then daily beginning Aug. 29. Virtual appointments remain available.
FINAL THOUGHTS: In response to the Over-the-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aid Act of 2017, this week the Food and Drug Administration issued their final rule establishing the new device category of OTC hearing aids for use by adults in an effort to reduce the cost of the devices and expand availability.
Effective 17 October 2022, OTC hearing aids may be purchased in person, by mail, or online without a requirement to involve licensed healthcare professionals, such as physicians, audiologists, or hearing instrument specialists. From a pure public health perspective, this ruling expands hearing aid access and utilization in patients who need but were reluctant to obtain hearing aids due to cost. This particularly impacts low-income individuals, and others for whom hearing aid access is especially burdensome.
For the practicing professional, we recognize that this ruling would cause a disruption in service models that have a high dependence on devices. While the purchase of OTC hearing aids will not require the services of hearing care professionals, the consensus of our experts in the Osborne College of Audiology (OCA) is that the FDA is NOT suggesting professional services provided by audiologists are unimportant or not valuable. The FDA recommends consumers consult with professionals in several circumstances, including the diagnosis of hearing impairment and in the fitting and continued use of OTC hearing aids. That said, while potentially a very beneficial public health initiative, this ruling also has inherent risks associated with it that could, in certain cases, put patients at risk if they don’t seek appropriate professional consultation to rule out underlying causes for their hearing loss.
Salus University’s OCA audiology programs were developed on a biomedical sciences model that prepares our students to practice at the top of their license with the broadest scope of practice ranging from diagnostics to rehabilitation, not reliant solely on selling hearing aids.
As most of our professions are regulated on both the federal and state levels, I cannot stress enough the importance of political advocacy. Our faculty and alumni work within state and national professional organizations in various capacities, to further the audiology profession much like our other professions at Salus do. They also hold several leadership positions within various professional organizations that influence the future of audiology education and practice. While we cannot do this alone as an institution of higher learning, it is imperative to closely watch how this ruling affects patient outcomes in the future and continue our commitment to active political advocacy and education of decision makers moving forward.
As you prepare for the weekend, COVID cases remain moderately high, so please remain vigilant and follow CDC masking guidelines. Stay safe, keep hydrated, have some fun and remain SALUS STRONG!
Mike
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